Panic buying in the community as a coping strategy in response to Covid-19

Abstract

Panic buying was widespread during the early phase of the Covid-19 outbreak in the UK and elsewhere. Drawing on identity process theory, this study explores the psychological motivations for engaging in panic buying behaviours in response to the Covid-19 outbreak in London. Fifteen people participated in an interview study concerning the impact of the outbreak on their buying behaviours. The qualitative data were analysed using thematic analysis. The analysis yielded three themes: (i) Covid-19 as a threat to continuity and self-efficacy; (ii) Buying to resist change; and (iii) Buying to restore self-efficacy. The results suggest that Covid-19 and the measures put in place to control it may have potentially deleterious effects for the continuity and self-efficacy principles of identity, which in turn may lead to the maladaptive coping strategy of panic buying. In order to manage the pandemic effectively, it will be necessary to promote more adaptive and sustainable coping strategies to reduce the risk of engagement in panic buying. More specifically, building identity resilience and facilitating access to social support should be important foci for health and wellbeing interventions in the general population.