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A Study on Individual Investment Behaviour

Author: Manas Sankalp Mishra
Affiliation: Amity Business School, Amity University, Chhattisgarh, India
Email: mrag2483@gmail.com

Abstract

Investment decisions are at the core of financial planning and wealth management for individuals across all economic strata. In the evolving economic environment of India, where financial literacy is expanding and technological access is enabling greater participation in capital markets, understanding individual investment behaviour becomes both timely and essential. This study investigates how personal, behavioural, and demographic factors influence investment decision-making among individual investors in India. It offers a comprehensive exploration into how people save, what motivates their investment choices, how they perceive and respond to risk, and what informational sources they rely on to make decisions.

This research goes beyond the classical assumptions of rational investor models by incorporating insights from behavioural finance, which accounts for psychological biases such as overconfidence, anchoring, herding, and regret aversion. The paper leverages primary data collected from a structured questionnaire administered to 60 respondents and applies both descriptive and inferential statistical methods, including percentage analysis, weighted mean scores, and chi-square tests, to derive actionable insights.

The study finds that most investors prefer relatively safe and familiar avenues such as bank deposits, mutual funds, and blue-chip stocks. Risk appetite is generally moderate to low, especially among younger investors who dominate the sample. Financial objectives like children’s education, long-term capital growth, and wealth preservation play a crucial role in investment behaviour. Additionally, demographic factors such as age significantly influence the basis on which investment decisions are made and the sources from which information is collected.