The Effect of Nepotism Perception on Career Anxiety of University Students and New Graduates: A Multiple Group Analysis

Abstract

The study was conducted to investigate the effect of nepotism perceptions on career concerns of final-year undergraduate students and recent graduates and to measure how this effect differs according to demographic factors. In the study, cross-sectional research method and convenience sampling technique were used as quantitative research methods. The study was conducted with 448 participants, who were students enrolled in four higher education institutions, and recent graduates. In the analysis phase, firstly, structural equation modeling was used to determine whether the relationships thought to exist were compatible with the data, and then the differences between the groups were tested with multiple group analysis. According to the results of the analysis, in the effect of nepotism perception on career anxiety, it was determined that nepotism perception affected only professional career anxiety in the female participants, while it affected both professional and family-based career anxiety in the male participants. Considering the income level of the household, it was found that the perception of nepotism affected family-based career anxiety in participants with low household income, while the perception of nepotism had no effect on occupational and family-based career anxiety in participants with higher household income. In terms of parental attitude, the perception of nepotism affected family-based career anxiety in authoritarian families, while it affected occupational career anxiety in democratic families. In terms of the desired sector of employment, while the perception of nepotism affected both professional and family-based career anxiety in participants who intend to work in the public sector, no such effect was found in participants who intend to continue their careers in private, freelance and academic sectors. The impact of nepotism perception on career anxiety varies according to demographic characteristics among senior students and recent graduates of universities.