Yiling Zhang
Dr. Zhang is an applied quantitative researcher specializing in consumer behavior and financial well-being. Her research interests encompass four primary areas: Financial Decision-Making and Financial Wellbeing; Nutrition, Food Security, and Food Consumption Patterns; Retirement and Aging Research; and Healthcare Utilization and Access.
Dr. Zhang employs both large-scale datasets and primary data collected through surveys to investigate consumer behaviors across vulnerable populations. Her research approach integrates behavioral economics principles to understand consumer decision-making processes and inform policy interventions.
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Research Interests
Household/Consumer Finance; Fintech; Behavioral Economics; Consumer Decision-Making; Food Insecurity;
Teaching Interests
Household/Consumer Finance; Family Economics; Consumer Behavior; Consumer Policy; Consumer Analytics; Applied Econometrics/Statistics;
Education
- Ph.D. Consumer Behavior and Family Economics University of Wisconsin-Madison May 2024 (Expected)
- Master of Public Administration Cornell University May 2018
- Bachelor of Law Fudan University June 2016
Research
Zhang, Yiling and Fitzpatrick, Katie, The Impact of SNAP Work Requirements on Food Spending (November 04, 2024. Kilts Center at Chicago Booth Marketing Data Center Paper
Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=5059919 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.5059919
Financial Self-regulation: How Does Expense-Tracking Inform Financial Behaviors
This paper examines expense-tracking as a self-regulatory behavior within the context of financial self-regulation using administrative-level user data from a Chinese financial app and survey data from American respondents.
How Do Individuals Keep Tabs on Personal Spending
This paper combines subjective behavioral data from a self-designed survey with objective behavioral data from the administrative-level user data from a Chinese financial app to examine the motivations, methods, and timing of expense-tracking practices and their impact on financial outcomes. Its findings reveal how people engage in expense-tracking behavior and carry some policy implications for current financial education.
The Fresh Start Effect: How Temporal Landmarks Promote Expense-tracking Behavior
This paper explores the role of the “fresh start effect”, the tendency to pursue aspirational behaviors following temporal landmarks among people with a fresh start mindset, in motivating expense-tracking, using online search data and administrative data from a Chinese tracking app.
Published Articles
Addo, F. R., & Zhang, Y. (2019). The Emerging Millennial Wealth Gap. New America.
Abstract: Wealth inequality among different racial and ethnic groups has been a defining feature of American society. However, new dynamics are emerging with the rise of the Millennial generation that will likely impact the extent of future divides. In this chapter, we examine racial wealth inequality among Millennial young adults. Along with summarizing wealth profiles of young Millennials of color, we explore wealth inequality within the context of historical legacies of Black-White wealth inequality, the proliferation of debt—specifically student loan debt—and the ongoing marital retreat. We also examine how the association of income and education with wealth vary significantly by race and ethnicity and contribute to pre-existing/intergenerational wealth gaps. If the trends we describe continue—and are ignored by policymakers—dramatic levels of inequality according to race and ethnicity will endure for decades to come.
Contact Info
Email: ylzhang@ua.edu
Personal Website: https://yzhang.people.ua.edu/
Yiling Zhang's Personal Website 