Does COVID-19 Affect the Behavior of Buying Fresh Food? Evidence from Wuhan, China

Jing Chen, Yong Zhang, Shiyao Zhu and Lei Liu
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Jing Chen: School of Transportation, Southeast University, No. 2, Southeast University Road, Jiangning District, Nanjing 211189, China
Yong Zhang: School of Transportation, Southeast University, No. 2, Southeast University Road, Jiangning District, Nanjing 211189, China
Shiyao Zhu: School of Civil Engineering, Southeast University, No. 2, Southeast University Road, Jiangning District, Nanjing 211189, China
Lei Liu: School of Transportation, Southeast University, No. 2, Southeast University Road, Jiangning District, Nanjing 211189, China

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 9, 1-15

Abstract: COVID-19 first appeared in Wuhan city of Hubei Province in China in December 2019. It has a substantial impact on human life all around the world, especially for citizens. The threat of COVID-19 has resulted in people shopping online to get fresh food and reduce outdoor trips. Collecting data from adult internet users in Wuhan, China in 2020, this study aims to explore the influence of COVID-19 on fresh food shopping behavior. In addition, a comparison and ordered logit model are constructed to demonstrate the changes and effects of COVID-19. The results suggest that more citizens in Wuhan city will buy fresh food online and the cost and frequency are also increased. The experience of online shopping for fresh food during the lock-down days has promoted more online shopping. The factors, such as frequency of online shopping before the COVID-19 outbreak, frequency of online shopping during the COVID-19 pandemic, and age, have a negative effect on the proportion of online shopping after the lock-down days, while the proportion of online shopping before the COVID-19 outbreak, the proportion of online shopping during the COVID-19 pandemic, and travel time of in-store shopping before the COVID-19 outbreak have a positive effect. The results provide insights for managers, city planners, and policymakers.

Keywords: COVID-19; fresh food; shopping behavior; Wuhan (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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