Poverty as a Catalyst for Cybercrime: Evidence from Agona Swedru, Ghana

Despite numerous efforts by stakeholders and institutions to mitigate social inequality and cybercrime globally, “these issues persist, particularly in developing countries like Ghana, where cybercrime has become a primary pursuit for many young people. This study aimed to examine the effect of soci...

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Main Authors: Paul Kwasi Kumah, Hubert Bimpeh Asiedu, Charles Obeng, Felix Awuah Obeng Senior
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Noyam Journals 2024-11-01
Series:E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://noyam.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/EHASS202451410.pdf
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author Paul Kwasi Kumah
Hubert Bimpeh Asiedu
Charles Obeng
Felix Awuah Obeng Senior
author_facet Paul Kwasi Kumah
Hubert Bimpeh Asiedu
Charles Obeng
Felix Awuah Obeng Senior
author_sort Paul Kwasi Kumah
collection DOAJ
description Despite numerous efforts by stakeholders and institutions to mitigate social inequality and cybercrime globally, “these issues persist, particularly in developing countries like Ghana, where cybercrime has become a primary pursuit for many young people. This study aimed to examine the effect of social inequality on cybercrime and the mediating role of financial constraints. Using a quantitative research survey and a simple random sampling technique, 397 individuals were surveyed. The study’s findings revealed a positive and significant relationship between social inequality and cybercrime. There was also a significant positive relationship between social inequality and financial constraints. Additionally, a significant positive relationship was identified between financial constraints and cybercrime. The study also found a significant indirect effect of social inequality on cybercrime through financial constraints, indicating that financial constraints partially mediate the relationship between social inequality and cybercrime. Therefore, this study concluded that social inequality and financial constraints contribute significantly to the incidence of cybercrime in Agona Swedru and similar contexts. It is recommended that policymakers emphasize initiatives that promote equitable access to education, employment opportunities, and financial resources that alleviate the financial strain that pushes individuals toward cybercrime. By highlighting the link between social inequality and cybercrime while also revealing the mediating role of financial constraint, this study provides a comprehensive understanding of socioeconomic factors driving cybercrime.”
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issn 2720-7722
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publishDate 2024-11-01
publisher Noyam Journals
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spelling doaj-art-f2415e80684c49f983fa5edf3ff2c0d62025-01-06T12:55:58ZengNoyam JournalsE-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences2720-77222024-11-0151425822596https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.202451410Poverty as a Catalyst for Cybercrime: Evidence from Agona Swedru, GhanaPaul Kwasi Kumah0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5415-6017Hubert Bimpeh Asiedu1https://orcid.org/0009-0002-3778-012X Charles Obeng2https://orcid.org/0009-0009-7119-0618 Felix Awuah Obeng Senior3https://orcid.org/0009-0000-6934-2891Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi-Ghana.Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi-Ghana.Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi-Ghana.Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi-Ghana.Despite numerous efforts by stakeholders and institutions to mitigate social inequality and cybercrime globally, “these issues persist, particularly in developing countries like Ghana, where cybercrime has become a primary pursuit for many young people. This study aimed to examine the effect of social inequality on cybercrime and the mediating role of financial constraints. Using a quantitative research survey and a simple random sampling technique, 397 individuals were surveyed. The study’s findings revealed a positive and significant relationship between social inequality and cybercrime. There was also a significant positive relationship between social inequality and financial constraints. Additionally, a significant positive relationship was identified between financial constraints and cybercrime. The study also found a significant indirect effect of social inequality on cybercrime through financial constraints, indicating that financial constraints partially mediate the relationship between social inequality and cybercrime. Therefore, this study concluded that social inequality and financial constraints contribute significantly to the incidence of cybercrime in Agona Swedru and similar contexts. It is recommended that policymakers emphasize initiatives that promote equitable access to education, employment opportunities, and financial resources that alleviate the financial strain that pushes individuals toward cybercrime. By highlighting the link between social inequality and cybercrime while also revealing the mediating role of financial constraint, this study provides a comprehensive understanding of socioeconomic factors driving cybercrime.”https://noyam.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/EHASS202451410.pdfsocial inequalitycybercrime and financial constraint
spellingShingle Paul Kwasi Kumah
Hubert Bimpeh Asiedu
Charles Obeng
Felix Awuah Obeng Senior
Poverty as a Catalyst for Cybercrime: Evidence from Agona Swedru, Ghana
E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
social inequality
cybercrime and financial constraint
title Poverty as a Catalyst for Cybercrime: Evidence from Agona Swedru, Ghana
title_full Poverty as a Catalyst for Cybercrime: Evidence from Agona Swedru, Ghana
title_fullStr Poverty as a Catalyst for Cybercrime: Evidence from Agona Swedru, Ghana
title_full_unstemmed Poverty as a Catalyst for Cybercrime: Evidence from Agona Swedru, Ghana
title_short Poverty as a Catalyst for Cybercrime: Evidence from Agona Swedru, Ghana
title_sort poverty as a catalyst for cybercrime evidence from agona swedru ghana
topic social inequality
cybercrime and financial constraint
url https://noyam.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/EHASS202451410.pdf
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AT hubertbimpehasiedu povertyasacatalystforcybercrimeevidencefromagonaswedrughana
AT charlesobeng povertyasacatalystforcybercrimeevidencefromagonaswedrughana
AT felixawuahobengsenior povertyasacatalystforcybercrimeevidencefromagonaswedrughana