Factors Affecting Knowledge and Understanding of the Protection of Consumer Rights in the Context of Digital Assets Among Upper Secondary School Students in Mueang District, Surat Thani Province

Abstract

This research was conducted to (1) examine the personal, economic, and social characteristics, along with the digital-asset-related experience, of upper-secondary school students; (2) examine their level of knowledge and understanding of consumer rights protection; and (3) determine the factors influencing knowledge and understanding of consumer rights protection in the context of digital assets among upper-secondary school students in Mueang District, Surat Thani Province. A quantitative approach was adopted. The population consisted of 8,401 upper-secondary school students from ten schools in Mueang District, Surat Thani Province. A sample of 400 students was drawn by accidental sampling; the sample size was determined using the formula developed by Yamane (1973) together with the criterion set by Green (1991), and the sample was distributed proportionally according to the number of students in each school. The questionnaire developed for this research obtained an item-objective congruence (IOC) index of 0.76 and an overall Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.972. Data analysis involved descriptive statistics (percentage, mean, and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (multiple regression analysis using the Enter method). The findings were as follows: (1) most participants were female, earning a monthly income of 3,000–5,000 baht, with a monthly family income of 15,000–30,000 baht, and their families had never invested in digital assets; overall exposure to information was at a moderate level, the highest channel being social media and the lowest government agencies; (2) overall, participants' self-assessed knowledge and understanding of consumer rights protection in the context of digital assets was at a moderate level; and (3) exposure to information from government agencies and cumulative grade point average each had a positive effect on knowledge and understanding of consumer rights protection in the context of digital assets, whereas experience in using stablecoins had a negative effect, at the .05 level of statistical significance.