How Does a Public Health Emergency Motivate People’s Impulsive Consumption? An Empirical Study during the COVID-19 Outbreak in China

Mo Li, Taiyang Zhao, Ershuai Huang and Jianan Li
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Mo Li: School of International, Jilin University of Finance and Economics, Changchun 130012, China
Taiyang Zhao: School of Philosophy and Sociology, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China
Ershuai Huang: Business School, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China
Jianan Li: Business School, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 14, 1-13

Abstract: Impulsive consumption is a typical behavior that people often present during public health emergencies, which usually leads to negative outcomes. This study investigates how public health emergencies, such as COVID-19, affect people’s impulsive consumption behavior. Data from 1548 individuals in China during the COVID-19 outbreak was collected. The sample covered 297 prefecture-level cities in 31 provincial administrative regions. The research method included the use of a structural equation model to test multiple research hypotheses. The study finds that the severity of a pandemic positively affects people’s impulsive consumption. Specifically, the more severe the pandemic, the more likely people are to make impulsive consumption choices. The results indicate that both perceived control and materialism play mediating roles between the severity of a pandemic and impulsive consumption. As conclusions, people’s impulsive consumption during public health emergencies can be weakened either by enhancing their perceived control or by reducing their materialistic tendency. These conclusions are valuable and useful for a government’s crisis response and disaster risk management.

Keywords: public health emergency; impulsive consumption; perceived control; materialism; COVID-19 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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