Role of Values and Behavioral Finance in Shaping Environmental Decisions among Secondary School Students

Abstract This paper investigates the cross-section of behavioral finance, values, and environmental/green finance: exploring ways in which the cognitive biases and personal values regarding sustainability that secondary school pupils may possess can impact their financial decisions. As green financing takes center stage in more current discourse, assessment of this specific role of behavioral finance in describing processes for decision making is very crucial, especially within the context of green finance. Behavioral finance would shed light on students' perceptions, heuristics, and biases that could influence their willingness to invest in the given products: green bonds, SRI, and environmental impact funds. This paper delves into how secondary school pupils, at a point critical in their financial education, develop attitudes towards environmental finance and the value of 'environmental responsibility, sustainability, and social justice'. Through an examination of the role that these values play in their financial decision-making, this study seeks to identify the relevance for presentation of green finance as part of early education curricula as it has implications for wholesome investment behaviors. This paper will discuss the utilization of case studies, surveys, and the application of principles in behavioral finance to understand the extent to which students' financial decisions are guided by personal values related to environmental protection and long-term sustainability and how educators may incorporate these elements into secondary school curricula. This will go a long way in shaping a generation of socially conscious and environmentally aware young investors who are financially literate and empowered to make rational financial choices.