Influence of Demographic Factors on Investment Performance

Abstract

Investment involves commitment of money with the expectation of earning additional return. Investment performance generally indicates the outcome of an investment programme and it depends on several factors. When making investment different type of investors behave in different manner. Thus it is important to examine the influence of demographic factors of investors on investment performance. The objective of the study is to investigate the influence of demographic factors on the investment performance of household investors in the Northern Province of Sri Lanka. The respondents of the study were 1810 household investors in the Northern Province of Sri Lanka, who were selected under proportionate stratified random sampling technique. The collected data were analyzed with the support of analytical tools of independent t - test and one way ANOVA test. The results of the study reveal that gender, age, educational qualification, occupation and income of investors influence the investment performance whereas marital status of investors has no influence on investment performance. Based on the findings it is recommended to conduct investment training and awareness programme and to design new financial products and services which are particularly appropriate to specific segment of investors.