Anxiety and Panic Buying Behaviour during COVID-19 Pandemic-A Qualitative Analysis of Toilet Paper Hoarding Contents on Twitter

The influence of COVID-19 on intertemporal choices in the health and economy domains

Background

With the spread of COVID-19, concerns regarding its adverse effects have arisen. Based on affect regulation theory and construal level theory, this study explored how COVID-19 affects intertemporal choice in the health and economy domains, self-other differences for intertemporal choice were also inspected. The study examined whether psychological safety can moderate the relationship between COVID-19 and intertemporal choice.

Methods

A 2 (COVID-19 status: pre-COVID-19, during-COVID-19) × 2 (decision maker role: decision for self, decision for others) × 2 (domain: health, economy) three-factor hybrid experiment was employed.

Results

(1) Individuals in during-COVID-19 condition preferred more immediate options. (2) Delayed options were preferred more in the health domain. Preference for immediate money options enhanced during than before COVID-19. However, COVID-19 status did not affect choices related to health. (3) Delayed options were preferred more when making intertemporal choices for others than for oneself under the pre-COVID-19 condition. Self-other differences for intertemporal choice disappeared during COVID-19. (4) Psychological safety moderated the effect of COVID-19 on intertemporal choice.

Conclusions

During COVID-19, individuals' impulsive preference of intertemporal choice increased. COVID-19 affected intertemporal choice regarding economy and the self-other differences for intertemporal choice. Psychological safety could buffer the effect of COVID-19 on intertemporal choice.

Value

This study can provide empirical evidence to affect regulation theory and level of explanation theory as well as guide individuals in making scientific decisions in health and economic domains under public health emergencies.

Exploring the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Twitter in Japan: Qualitative Analysis of Disrupted Plans and Consequences

BACKGROUND

Despite being a pandemic, the impact of the spread of COVID-19 extends beyond public health, influencing areas such as the economy, education, work style, and social relationships. Research studies that document public opinions and estimate the long-term potential impact after the pandemic can be of value to the field.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to uncover and track concerns in Japan throughout the COVID-19 pandemic by analyzing Japanese individuals' self-disclosure of disruptions to their life plans on social media. This approach offers alternative evidence for identifying concerns that may require further attention for individuals living in Japan.

METHODS

We extracted 300,778 tweets using the query phrase Corona-no-sei ("due to COVID-19," "because of COVID-19," or "considering COVID-19"), enabling us to identify the activities and life plans disrupted by the pandemic. The correlation between the number of tweets and COVID-19 cases was analyzed, along with an examination of frequently co-occurring words.

RESULTS

The top 20 nouns, verbs, and noun plus verb pairs co-occurring with Corona no-sei were extracted. The top 5 keywords were graduation ceremony, cancel, school, work, and event. The top 5 verbs were disappear, go, rest, can go, and end. Our findings indicate that education emerged as the top concern when the Japanese government announced the first state of emergency. We also observed a sudden surge in anxiety about material shortages such as toilet paper. As the pandemic persisted and more states of emergency were declared, we noticed a shift toward long-term concerns, including careers, social relationships, and education.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study incorporated machine learning techniques for disease monitoring through the use of tweet data, allowing the identification of underlying concerns (eg, disrupted education and work conditions) throughout the 3 stages of Japanese government emergency announcements. The comparison with COVID-19 case numbers provides valuable insights into the short- and long-term societal impacts, emphasizing the importance of considering citizens' perspectives in policy-making and supporting those affected by the pandemic, particularly in the context of Japanese government decision-making.

Online classified adverts reflect the broader United Kingdom trade in turtles and tortoises rather than drive it

Online sales are increasingly a route by which exotic animals are sold in the global pet trade. There are numerous types of online platforms and transaction types, and dedicated classified advertisement sites are a popular means of buying and selling animals. Despite their large and increasing use, we have a relatively poor understanding of the number of, and taxonomic variation in, the animals sold online. This information may be key in efforts to optimise the welfare of the animals being sold, and the ethics and sustainability of the trade via that platform. To fill this knowledge gap, we monitored and analysed the advertisements of chelonians (turtles and tortoises) placed on one of the United Kingdom's largest dedicated classified ads sites, www.pets4homes.co.uk, over the course of a year, from July 2020 until June 2021. We analysed temporal, taxonomic, and advertiser related trends in the volumes of advertisements placed and compared the prices and the sentiment of language within adverts for different species. We found that the species advertised, the prices requested, and infrequent use of the site by most advertisers is consistent with most adverts being for animals being resold by casual users. Further, we found that turtles were consistently advertised for lower prices and in multiples than tortoises, and that the language with which they were advertised was less positive. We conclude that on this website the online trade reflects the broader trade, rather than drives the sales of chelonians in the UK, and that any interventions aiming to improve welfare and sustainability would be better placed earlier in the supply chain.

Defining collective irrationality of COVID-19: shared mentality, mimicry, affective contagion, and psychosocial adaptivity

This paper defines the nature of collective irrationality that flourished during the COVID-19 pandemic and lays out specific individual and shared traits and dispositions that facilitate it. Drawing on the example of globally experienced phenomenon of panicked toilet paper buying and hoarding during the COVID-19 pandemic and resources from philosophy, psychology, sociology, and economics this paper identifies four essential features of collective irrationality: weak shared mentality; non-cognitive and immediate mimicry; affective contagion; and psychosocial adaptivity. After (I) initially pointing out conceptual problems around benchmarking collectivity and irrationality, this paper (II) identifies weak mentality as serving the goals of "group" recognition internally and externally. It is argued that (III) the non-cognitive and immediate mimicry and emotional contagion are shared and individual dispositional conditions that facilitate collective irrationality in environments affected by uncertainty (IV). The human mimetic faculty and susceptibility to emotional contagion are presented as enabling and augmenting conditions under which collective irrationality flourishes. Finally, (IV) presenting collective irrationality in the context of psychosocial adaptivity, the paper provides evolutionary reasons for engaging in irrational behaviors, rendering collective irrationality as an adaptive strategy.

Diet Quality and Nutrition Behavior of Federal Nutrition Education Program Participants before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Despite challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic, reports from regional and national meetings of the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education program (EFNEP) have provided anecdotal evidence that the program has persevered, pivoted, and continued to positively impact the lives of some of the nation's most vulnerable populations. However, there have been necessary changes to program delivery, inevitable changes in the lives of participants, and changes in the food environment that may have impacted program outcomes. This study compares national EFNEP data (demographics, behavior change data, and 24 h dietary recall data) of participants from two federal fiscal years, before the COVID-19 pandemic and during the pandemic. Linear mixed model analysis of variance and covariance were used to assess the effects of year on program outcomes. Results of this study provide quantitative evidence of the resiliency of EFNEP to facilitate positive behavior changes related to diet quality, physical activity, food safety, food resource management, and food security. Amidst changes in the food environment during the COVID-19 pandemic, these results emphasize the importance and value of federal nutrition education programs in any food environment.

A Model of Panic Buying and Workforce under COVID-19

Allowing there to be an undersupply of medical resources and infection amid the social workforce, this paper proposes a theory to show how panic buying is induced and how bad the workforce status could be. By developing a novel general equilibrium model, we find that for any retail price that is higher than the buyer's reserve value, the buying competition will be induced and the medical resources supply will further be tightened. Moreover, if the transmission rate of COVID-19 surpasses the theoretical threshold that is proposed by this paper, the whole workforce in our simulated economy will inevitably be infected.

Winners and losers from Pfizer and Biontech's vaccine announcement: Evidence from S&P 500 (Sub)sector indices

This study explores how the US stock market reacted to the news of a successful development of vaccine by Pfizer and Biontech on November 9, 2020. In particular, the study analyses the effect of the vaccine announcement on 11 sector indices and 79 subsector indices. A key contribution of the present study is to provide a deeper subsector level of analysis lacking in existing literature. An event study approach is applied in identifying abnormal returns due to the November 9th vaccine announcement. Several event periods (-1, 0, 1, 2, 3, 0-1, 0-3) are analysed to provide a more complete picture of the effects. Based on analysis, it is established that there are considerable inter and intra sectoral variations in the impact of the vaccine news. The results show that the impact follows a clear pattern. The sectors that were hit hardest by the pandemic such as energy, financials, as well as subsectors like hotels and casinos, benefited the most from positive vaccine news. Subsectors that gained from the pandemic such as airfreight, household appliances and computers and electronics retail were depressed the most by the news. These findings suggest that while the availability of vaccines is expected to help steer economies gradually to normalcy, the re-adjustment is likely to be asymmetric across subsectors. While some subsectors expect to expand as these industries recover from the contraction inflicted by the COVID-19 environment, other subsectors expect adjustment losses as these industries shed off the above average gains driven by the COVID-19 environment.

Determinants of panic buying during COVID-19: causes and consequences

Purpose

Despite the abundant literature on panic buying during COVID-19 pandemic, the several causes and consequences of panic buying have been enormously ignored. The purpose of this study is to emphasize the consumer’s behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic and illustrate the comprehensive theoretical model of consumers’ panic buying to investigate its causes and consequences in a developing country empirically to uncover this gap.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors collected data from 419 households of all socioeconomic classes of Bangladesh. A hierarchical regression model analyzed the data.

Findings

This study finds that internal and external factors such as rumors, government strategies, fear and anxiety and health security significantly affect consumers’ panic buying behaviors. This finding supports some theories of human behavior. This study also finds that panic buying has internal and external consequences such as price hike, shortage of supply of products, dissatisfaction of consumers and increase in utility (benefit) of the products but not on consumer’s budget. This finding supports as well as contradicts some established theories of human and consumer behavior.

Originality/value

This study proves that panic buying cannot help the consumers and they are the ultimate sufferers of this. The findings of this study will help the government, media, suppliers and consumers to interact properly to maintain panic buying during a pandemic crisis. Giving a holistic explanation of the causes and consequences of panic buying by introducing some novel variables is a momentous strength of this study.

Understanding cultural factors in mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic: when collectivism meets a tight culture

The long-standing pathogen prevalence hypothesis suggests that collectivism can protect from epidemics and pandemics in terms of psychological well-being. However, studies exploring the protective mechanism induced when collectivism meets cultural tightness (the strength of social norms and tolerance for deviant behavior) are few. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the protective effect of collectivism in detail considering loose and tight cultural contexts. The sample comprised 2001 Chinese participants (M age  = 18.41 ± 2.388 years; 50.2% female). Moderated regression analyses indicated that more perceived risk of COVID-19 predicted severe mental health responses (i.e., depression and anxiety), collectivism moderated this positive relationship but individualism did not. Notably, the protective effect of collectivism is especially evident in tight cultures but ineffective in loose cultures. This study emphasized that the protective effects of collectivism on mental health during a pandemic should be considered within the framework of cultural tightness. This study's findings may advance knowledge about the relationship between cultural type and mental health during epidemics.

The role of transdisciplinarity for mineral economics and mineral resource management: coping with fallacies related to phosphorus in science and practice

Mineral economics is a genuine multidisciplinary field dealing with economic and policy matters related to the production, distribution, and consumption of mineral commodities. We discuss why the increasing complexity, ambiguity, ambivalence, and social contestation of subjects of mineral economics promote the participation of mineral economists in transdisciplinary processes. These processes relate (a) knowledge from targeted interdisciplinary processes and (b) mitigated discourses among different stakeholders to provide (c) a shared problem definition and to attain shared basic knowledge about problem transformation science and practice. We discuss known examples of misperceptions regarding minerals (phosphorus), such as an imminent scarcity threat, the incorrectly understood causations of the 2007/2008 price peak and present the phosphorus ore-grades increased by 3.2% between 1983 and 2013 fallacies (which is based on the Simpson’s paradox), and only few countries have mineable reserves fallacy. Here, we also illuminate motivations underlying several mineral economics–related misunderstandings. We argue that societally relevant questions require an honest mineral economics knowledge brokership. The example of the Global TraPs project, which targeted sustainable phosphorus management, is presented. Honest brokership to attain a clearinghouse function of science requires trust formation in society. We argue that this calls for increasing the understandability of relationships that are not well-understood, such as “if prices rise, so do stocks.” Wellmer and Becker-Platen’s feedback control cycle may be considered an example of how complex mineral economics can become and how challenging it is to be understandable to scientists from different disciplines and faculties as well as to practitioners whose knowledge may well be used to cope with the complexity of given problems. Thus, the present paper represents a plea for mutual learning between science and practice in order to understand the complex social and economic challenges of mineral resource dynamics.

Madness of the crowd: Understanding mass behaviors through a multidisciplinary lens

Mass or crowd behaviors refer to those that occur at a group level and suggest that crowds behave differently to individuals. Mass behaviors are typically triggered by a significant societal event. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has provided many tangible examples of crowd behaviors that have been observed globally, suggesting possible common underlying drivers. It is important to provide a deeper understanding of such behaviors to develop mitigation strategies for future population-level challenges. To gain deeper insight into a variety of crowd behaviors, we perform a conceptual analysis of crowd behaviors using three detailed case studies covering observable behavior (panic buying and health protective actions) and mass beliefs (conspiracy theories) that have resulted or shifted throughout the pandemic. The aim of this review was to explored key triggers, psychological drivers, and possible mitigation strategies through a mixture of theory and published literature. Finally, we create experimental mathematical models to support each case study and to illustrate the effects of manipulating key behavioral factors. Overall, our analyses identified several commonalties across the case studies and revealed the importance of Social Identity Theory and concepts of trust, social connection, and stress.

Identifying emergence process of group panic buying behavior under the COVID-19 pandemic

The sudden COVID-19 caused frequent incidents of large-scale material panic buying, resulting in imbalance in supply and demand of goods and threatening social stability. It is of great significance to analyze the formation of group panic buying and help alleviate such action. This paper takes the panic buying phenomenon as the research target, quantifies the internal and external factors affecting individual buying behavior, restores the selection process of individual buying behavior, and constructs the emergence model of group panic buying behavior by using the idea of cluster dynamics. Through simulations, we find that: (1) The epidemic information intensity has a significant impact on the emergence of group rush buying behavior. (2) Government intervention plays a significant role in reducing the scale of group rush buying. Besides, the effects of intervention reach the best before people who do not participate in rush buying disappear. In addition, we also discuss the impact, limitations and future research directions.

Measuring a panic buying behavior: the role of awareness, demographic factors, development, and verification

In this study, a new panic buying behavior (PBB) and awareness scales were established and verified during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The PBB scales measured the relationship between people's awareness about COVID-19 and PBB. Moreover, this study investigated the potential association of some demographic factors with PBB. The online descriptive cross-sectional survey was collected from 429 Jordanians who were selected using the snowball sampling technique. The online survey started from April 1st to April 10th, 2020. Pearson correlation coefficient, one-way analysis of variance, independent sample t-test, and linear regression were used in this study. Findings indicated that both established scales were valid and reliable for achieving the required level of validity and reliability. In the current study, participants' awareness of COVID-19 was high; but, their PBB was low. Single and young individuals were positively associated with PBB. Awareness about COVID-19 and age were found to be the main predictors of PBB. This study concluded that the higher the awareness level about COVID-19, the lower PBB. High PBB may affect the world economy, highlighting the importance of COVID-19 awareness.

Individual and group level risk factors in preventive health and panic buying behaviors during COVID-19 pandemic in India

The present research explored individual and group level risk factors in preventive health and panic buying behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic in India. Perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, COVID-19 anxiety, and personal identity were considered individual-level risk factors. Group based identities such as family, religious groups, and identification with one's nation were considered as group level risk factors. Standardized scales have been used to measure all the constructs under study. Data were collected electronically from 305 Indian respondents. Hierarchical regression analysis in SPSS Version 22 was used to test the hypotheses. Results showed that personal identity and identification with the nation predicted preventive health behavior. Panic buying behavior was predicted by the location of the respondents (containment versus non-containment zones), perceived severity, and one's personal identity. The interplay of individual and social factors is reflective of both individual and collective agencies in the adoption of preventive health behaviors, while only individual-level factors led to panic buying behavior. The findings of this study have implications for curbing, managing, and reinforcing desirable and non-desirable behavior during the present pandemic as well as in the future as well.

Paper and packaging industry dynamics during COVID-19 and their strategies for the future

Background: The paper examines the "mysterious case of the disappearing toilet paper" during the COVID-19 pandemic. Purpose: This paper describes the strategic impacts on paper and packaging supply chains due to the pandemic. Study design/methodology/approach: Structured interviews and qualitative discussions with organizational and supply chain management leaders. Findings/conclusions: Several "behind the scenes" and less well-documented supply chain impacts in the paper and packaging, and logistics industries were discovered. The critical effects observed are: (1) Impact on the manufacturing side was mitigated mainly by implementing CDC guidelines and by the willingness of industry leaders to go above and beyond to shield their employees from economic hardships. (2) The transportation sector has experienced a more severe workforce shortage, amplified by government actions before and during the pandemic. (3) Product specialization, a pre-pandemic strategy for industry participants, turned into a weakness during the pandemic due to unprecedented shifts in demand across sectors. (4) Traditional "lean" supply chain thinking is increasingly making way for a more interconnected "risk avoidance" strategic model. Limitations/future research: The research is limited to organizations in Midwest U.S.A. and one organization in Europe.

Experiences and challenges faced by the working population during COVID-19 Lockdown: A qualitative study

Background:

The largest COVID-19 national lockdown was declared on 25 March 2020 in India with a total shutdown of workplaces and transport sectors. A complete lockdown deemed the entire population of the country to stay wherever they were residing at that point of time with no entry or exit movements being permitted thereafter. This unique situation betwixt a menacing health crisis rolled out a scenario uncustomary to the nation`s citizens. The varied responses of the masses to the lockdown need to be captured in order to understand the difficulties and dilemmas faced by them. Hence, this qualitative analysis aimed to capture the immediate challenges and experiences faced by the working population during the first-ever declared nationwide lockdown.

Methodology:

After obtaining institutional ethical committee clearance, a qualitative study was conducted using grounded theory approach. Using purposive sampling, people representative of the working-class population in Kerala were selected from three districts of the state. Equal representation of males and females were maintained. In-depth interviews were conducted via telephone using an interview guide till data saturation was obtained. The audio recorded data were later transcribed verbatim and translated to English. The transcripts were then manually coded to identify the emerging themes and subthemes and conclusions were drawn after triangulation.

Results:

The age of the study participants ranged from 32 to 71 years, they were occupied in different vocations and belonged to middle-class families across three districts of Kerala. All of them were aware and were mentally prepared for a national lockdown. They also made arrangements such as purchase of food, drinking water, medicines, etc., for home but also for office as well. Even though most of them were initially excited about the lockdown it was then followed by fear of contracting the disease, worries about loss of work and financial security. The study participants identified the advantages of lockdown as having more time for self & for family, use of the online/digital medium for routine activities and many also appreciated the support provided by the government in the form of food kits and loans. The lockdown was found to have increased the workload especially for women who had to manage not only family but also online work from home.

Conclusion:

The study was able to capture the different experiences and challenges faced by the middle-class working population. Even though they went through a cascade of initial excitement followed by fear of contracting the disease, it eventually turned into concerns of job and financial insecurities. The united frontline work of various sectors like police, health sector, local self-government, Kudumbashree and voluntary groups collectively aided in building community resilience enabling the southern state of Kerala to overcome the devastating effects of the pandemic and lockdown.

Psychological Wellbeing, Worry, and Resilience-Based Coping during COVID-19 in Relation to Sleep Quality

The current study evaluated the impact of psychological wellbeing on sleep quality during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. A novel empirical model tested variables that mediate and moderate this impact. First, a relationship was established between psychological wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic and sleep quality. Second, resilience-based coping associated with the COVID-19 pandemic was tested as a mediator of the impact of psychological wellbeing on sleep quality. Third, dispositional rumination, mindfulness, and worry were compared as moderators of the impact of psychological wellbeing on sleep quality. Fourth, a moderated mediated model was tested for each moderator. Online survey data was collected from 153 adults in the United States. Results demonstrated that coping with the COVID-19 pandemic partially mediated the impact of psychological wellbeing on sleep quality. Worry, but not rumination or mindfulness, moderated the impact. A moderated mediation model failed to demonstrate significance, indicating that the data are best represented by distinct mediation and moderation models. Thus, interventions aimed at improving sleep quality should prioritize concurrent reduction in worry and increase in resilience-based coping strategies. This study provides practical and theoretical contribution to the literature by demonstrating relationships between key variables and contextualizing how the model can be used for assessments and interventions during widespread crises.

Panic Buying: Modeling What Drives it and How it Deteriorates Emotional Well-being

This study develops a panic buying model that explains its driving forces and adverse consequences. The data were collected from 415 U.S. nationwide consumers during the outbreak of the current pandemic and analyzed through structural equation modeling. Results indicated that although social learning through traditional media did not significantly affect consumers' fearfulness toward product shortage or panic buying, social learning through social media exerts significant effects on both. The results also provide empirical evidence that consumers' panic buying can trigger them to experience more negative emotions, which proves why such abnormal buying behaviors are an essential matter to be addressed.

Anxiety, depression, and stress: Can mental health variables predict panic buying?

The study aims to verify the predictive power of anxiety, depression, and stress over panic buying, and to assess gender differences. Data was collected in Brazil during May 2020 through an online questionnaire which was composed of sociodemographic questions, the Panic Buying Scale (PBS), the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) to assess anxiety and depression, and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) to assess stress. 2297 Brazilians (520 men and 1777 women) aged between 18 and 85 years (M = 39.18 years; SD = 14.10 years) answered the questionnaire. Women reported statistically significant higher means' values for anxiety, depression, and stress than men. Though men reported higher panic buying levels than women, the difference was not statistically significant. The regression models revealed that anxiety and stress were panic buying predictors. Comparing gender, the regression models showed that mental health variables (anxiety and stress) explained a higher variance of men's panic buying values than women's values. Hence, there is a significant moderator gender effect between mental health variables and panic buying, as they explained more of the variance of panic buying for men than for women. Psychological support should be provided to individuals, and they should be alerted and educated to the potentially prejudicial outcomes of this type of consumer behavior. Further studies should investigate antecedents and consequences of panic buying.

Influences of News and Social Media on Food Insecurity and Hoarding Behavior During the COVID-19 Pandemic

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to examine how sociodemographic variables and frequency of media consumption affect hoarding behavior and food insecurity concerns during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

METHODS

A quantitative, nonexperimental, correlational online survey was administered using a convenience sample of 203 participants from the United Kingdom with no medical issues that affected buying behavior during the pandemic to examine perceptions related to food insecurity, and self-reported food hoarding behavior.

RESULTS

Younger adults and lower income groups reported higher food insecurity perceptions and hoarding behaviors. Consuming COVID-19 information from websites was significantly associated with food insecurity perceptions, while information from social media was significantly associated with more food hoarding behaviors.

CONCLUSIONS

Younger adults and lower income groups are vulnerable populations from the perspective of food insecurity and hoarding behavior in times of health disasters like pandemics. While social media can play a positively catalytic role during crises, excessive online information and misinformation can contribute negatively to public panic and feelings of insecurity. Implications for disaster preparedness and future research are discussed. The findings suggest that age is the main predictor of food insecurity and hoarding behavior, with younger adults more likely to be affected. They also suggest that people are turning to National Health Service (NHS) websites, which were deemed more trustworthy than social media, to avoid "news fatigue" and avoiding speculation. Suggestions for future research were made, specifically to examine people's social support during the pandemic to understand its potential link to stockpiling behavior or food insecurity concerns.

Toilet Paper, Minced Meat and Diabetes Medicines: Australian Panic Buying Induced by COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the management of non-communicable diseases in health systems around the world. This study aimed to understand the impact of COVID-19 on diabetes medicines dispensed in Australia. Publicly available data from Australia's government subsidised medicines program (Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme), detailing prescriptions by month dispensed to patients, drug item code and patient category, was obtained from January 2016 to November 2020. This study focused on medicines used in diabetes care (Anatomical Therapeutical Chemical code level 2 = A10). Number of prescriptions dispensed were plotted by month at a total level, by insulins and non-insulins, and by patient category (general, concessional). Total number of prescriptions dispensed between January and November of each year were compared. A peak in prescriptions dispensed in March 2020 was identified, an increase of 35% on March 2019, compared to average growth of 7.2% in previous years. Prescriptions dispensed subsequently fell in April and May 2020 to levels below the corresponding months in 2019. These trends were observed across insulins, non-insulins, general and concessional patient categories. The peak and subsequent dip in demand have resulted in a small unexpected overall increase for the period January to November 2020, compared to declining growth for the same months in prior years. The observed change in consumer behaviour prompted by COVID-19 and the resulting public health measures is important to understand in order to improve management of medicines supply during potential future waves of COVID-19 and other pandemics.

Purchasing under threat: Changes in shopping patterns during the COVID-19 pandemic

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.

Panic Buying and Consumption Displacement during COVID-19: Evidence from New Zealand

Panic buying and hoarding behavior is a significant component of crisis- and disaster-related consumption displacement that has received considerable attention during the COVID-19 pandemic. Understanding such purchasing and stockpiling behavior provides critical information for government, disaster managers and the retail sector, as well as policy makers to adjust crisis response strategies and to better understand disaster management, including preparedness and response strategies. This study examines consumer purchasing behavior, retail spending and transactional data for different retail sectors between January 2017 and December 2020 using data for the greater Christchurch region in New Zealand. Once COVID-19-related panic buying began, overall spending increased sharply in anticipation of lockdowns. Transactional spending increased and subsided only slowly to a level higher than pre lockdown. The magnitude of the panic buying event far exceeded historical seasonal patterns of consumer spending outside of Christmas, Easter and Black Friday, although daily spending levels were comparable to such consumption events. The results of the study highlight the importance of comparing panic buying to other events in terms of purchasing motivations and also considering that so-called panic buying may contribute to greater individual and household resilience. The volume of sales alone is not adequate to define panic buying. Instead, the extent of divergence from the normal daily spending value per retail transaction of a given population provides a much more accurate characteristic of panic buying.