IMPACT OF DEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS ON ETHICAL COMPLIANCE AMONGST PROFESSIONAL ACCOUNTANTS IN NIGERIA

AbstractThis study attempts to answer the question of the influence of demographic factors on ethical compliance using professional accountants in Nigeria as the base, contingent on the lack of consensus in prior studies. The study employed the survey research design and regression analysis was deployed on the data obtained via a structured research instrument applied on selected professional accountants from both the public and private sectors. The hypotheses were tested using t-test. Three demographic variables of Level of Education, Gender, and Age were operationalized as independent variables; while ethical compliance was operationalized as the dependent variable. From the analysis of the data and the resultant hypotheses tests conducted, we observed that gender has a negative but significant relationship with ethical compliance. Whereas, Age and Level of Education has positive and significant influence on ethical compliance amongst professional accountants in Nigeria. It was therefore concluded that personal demographics are significantly crucial in explaining ethical compliance amongst professional accountants in Nigeria. However, this conclusion did not put to rest the lack of universal consensus in the direction of conclusion about the influence of demographic factors on ethical compliance, but the conclusion relying on professional accounting practitioners in Nigeria lends further credence to the body of knowledge which concludes that our individual attribute count shapes our response to the world around us. Therefore, it is recommended that demographic factors should be integrated into ethics education in the accounting profession to minimize dysfunctional behaviour, through enhanced understanding of individual attributes.

Keywords:

Keywords: ethics , professional accountants , Ethical Compliance , Accounting Ethics