Financial Literacy and Investment Decision-Making in an Emerging Economy: A Behavioral Survey Dataset from Romania

The value of money is shaped by economic, political, and social dynamics, prompting individuals to rely on different saving and investment instruments to preserve and grow their wealth over time. Focusing on Romania as a representative emerging-economy context, this study documents a survey-based dataset capturing individuals’ self-assessed financial literacy, saving habits, investment preferences, and perceptions regarding the safety and benefits of different investment instruments. Primary data were collected between November 2024 and February 2025 from 875 respondents across 41 Romanian counties and Bucharest, using a computer-assisted web interviewing (CAWI) questionnaire. They were analyzed using chi-square goodness-of-fit tests to examine whether responses regarding self-assessed financial literacy, risk perception, and investment behavior departed from expected distributions. The findings show that, although respondents most frequently rated their financial literacy as medium to high, they allocate a limited share of savings to investment, favor cryptocurrency and real estate, and prioritize safety over returns. By openly documenting the survey design, sample structure, and analytical procedure, this paper aims to support the reuse, replication, and cross-country comparison of behavioral financial datasets, while offering practical insights for policymakers and financial institutions designing evidence-based interventions in emerging markets.