Abstract
South Africa faces significant economic challenges, including high unemployment, inflation, and entrenched inequality, with youth disproportionately affected by these structural issues. In this context, financial news literacy emerges as a critical skill that equips young people with the knowledge to make informed decisions regarding saving, investing, budgeting, and entrepreneurship, ultimately contributing to economic stability and empowerment. This study investigates the level of financial news literacy among South African youth aged 18 to 35, and the role of financial journalism. The research adopts a qualitative approach rooted in interpretivist philosophy, employing focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews with purposively and conveniently sampled participants from Braamfontein and Sandton, Johannesburg. The study is guided by two theoretical frameworks: media literacy theory, which emphasizes the ability to critically access, evaluate, and use media content, and cultural capital theory, which examines how socio-cultural resources influence knowledge acquisition and decision making.
Findings reveal that youth generally possess a basic awareness of financial concepts but struggle with practical applications, including budgeting, risk management, and long-term planning. The study demonstrates that traditional financial journalism is often inaccessible to young audiences due to technical language, complex explanations, and formats that do not align with their media consumption habits. Participants expressed a preference for digital-first, interactive, and relatable content, including short videos, podcasts, infographics, and storytelling formats, which enhance engagement and comprehension. Moreover, the research highlights how differences in socioeconomic background and educational exposure influence youth engagement with financial news content, reflecting the interplay between cultural capital and media literacy. The findings underscore the potential of financial journalism to serve as a vehicle for financial education when it is designed to be accessible, youth-friendly, and contextually relevant. This study contributes to existing literature by addressing the underexplored intersection of financial journalism and youth financial news literacy in South Africa. It offers practical recommendations for journalists, media organisations, educators, and policymakers to create inclusive and effective financial education interventions. Furthermore, the research identifies gaps ...