Abstract
The spreading of COVID-19 has led to panic buying all over the world. In this study, we applied an animal model framework to elucidate changes in human purchasing behavior under COVID-19 pandemic conditions. Purchasing behavior and potential predictors were assessed in an online questionnaire format (N = 813). Multiple regression analyses were used to evaluate the role of individually Perceived Threat of COVID-19, anxiety related personality traits (trait-anxiety, intolerance of uncertainty) and the role of media exposure in predicting quantity and frequency of purchasing behavior. High levels of Perceived Threat of COVID-19 were associated significantly with a reported reduction in purchasing frequency (b = -.24, p < .001) and an increase in the quantity of products bought per purchase (b = .22, p < .001). These results are comparable to observed changes in foraging behavior in rodents under threat conditions. Higher levels of intolerance of uncertainty (b = .19, p < .001) and high extend of media exposure (b = .27, p < .001) were positively associated with Perceived Threat of COVID-19 and an increase in purchasing quantity. This study contributes to our understanding of aberrated human purchasing behavior and aims to link findings from animal research to human behavior beyond experimental investigations.
Highlights
The spreading of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has led to worldwide stockpiling of food and hygiene products which caused temporally shortages [1]
Female sex was associated with a decrease in purchasing frequency in March 2020 compared to January 2020, b = 0.32, t(672) = 3.46, p = .001, 95% CI [.13, .49]
Adding Perceived Threat of COVID-19 to the model revealed that higher subjective threat was associated with a decrease in purchasing frequency, b = -.30, t(671) = 8.21, p < .001, 95% CI [-.39, -.23]
Summary
The spreading of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has led to worldwide stockpiling of food and hygiene products which caused temporally shortages [1]. In early March 2020, when the number of daily COVID-19 infections reached its peak in Germany [2], the German Federal Statistical Office recorded an enormous increase in sales of goods of sanitary and daily needs [3]: e.g., early in March 2020, a 150% increase for pasta, 153% for soap, and 751% for disinfectants. Similar changes in shopping behavior were recorded in the USA [4] and the UK [5]. Studies indicated an increase in fear and worries related to the virus [6, 7]. The modulation of foraging behavior by threat has extensively been studied in the animal model [8]. Animals need to ensure a sufficient calorie intake while
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