tag:theconversation.com,2011:/us/topics/panic-buying-83615/articlesPanic buying – The Conversation2023-11-07T22:04:12Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2159722023-11-07T22:04:12Z2023-11-07T22:04:12ZWhat drives people to panic buy during times of crisis: A new study sheds light on the psychology of consumers<iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/what-drives-people-to-panic-buy-during-times-of-crisis-a-new-study-sheds-light-on-the-psychology-of-consumers" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>Fear can cause people to behave irrationally in times of uncertainty. During the pandemic, this took the form of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.npbr.2020.07.002">panic buying</a> as people flocked to stores to stock up on essential goods. Some even sought to profit off of shortages by price gouging <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/mar/16/ebay-urged-to-clamp-down-on-coronavirus-profiteering">toilet paper</a> and <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/coronavirus-hand-sanitiser-sell-amazon-ebay-profit-price-gouge-donate-a9404031.html">hand sanitizer</a>.</p>
<p>This phenomenon wasn’t just limited to a few countries or communities, either; it was a <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/1105603/coronavirus-cause-grocery-store-food-and-supply-shortages-worldwide/">global occurrence</a> that emptied supermarket shelves and caused significant disruptions in supply chains.</p>
<p>But what drives people to behave in such ways during times of crisis? Is it a basic survival instinct, a herd mentality influenced by social pressures or something more complex? </p>
<p>During the onset of the pandemic, we <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/21639159.2022.2033132">conducted a study</a> aimed at understanding the complex web of factors that compel us to act or overreact in the face of uncertainty.</p>
<h2>Psychological traits of consumers</h2>
<p>We examined the following factors in our study: narcissism, psychological entitlement, status consumption, fear of embarrassment, and fear of missing out. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/00223891.2012.685907">Narcissism</a> is a trait characterized by a heightened sense of self-importance and a lack of empathy for others. </p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327752jpa8301_04">Psychological entitlement</a> refers to the belief that one is inherently deserving of special treatment or privileges. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/10696679.1999.11501839">Status consumption</a> is the tendency to purchase items that confer social prestige or dominance. </p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2011.10.029">Fear of embarrassment</a> is anxiety about being negatively judged by others. <a href="https://www.brain.edusoft.ro/index.php/brain/article/view/950/1117">Fear of missing out</a> is the worry over missing out on rewarding experiences that others are taking part in. </p>
<h2>Unique types of consumers</h2>
<p>Our study identified four distinct consumer groups, each with unique psychological traits that drove their purchasing habits.</p>
<p><strong>1. Egalitarians.</strong> Egalitarians displayed low levels of narcissism and psychological entitlement compared to the other groups. They tend to have a more community-oriented and balanced approach to life. They likely have a strong belief in communal responsibility and fairness. Egalitarians are the type of individuals who volunteer at local food banks or participate in community clean-up events.</p>
<p>In terms of purchasing, egalitarians did not hoard as much as other groups. While others might hoard hand sanitizers, for example, an egalitarian might buy just one or two bottles and leave the rest for others in the community.</p>
<p><strong>2. Conformists.</strong> Conformists are influenced by a moderate fear of missing out and a high fear of embarrassment. Conformists are the type of people who follow dress codes and rarely question authority.</p>
<p>When it comes to purchasing, conformists prioritized items that aligned with public health guidelines, like disposable masks. They are usually the first to buy masks in bulk when a new public health advisory is released.</p>
<p><strong>3. Communal egoists.</strong> Communal egoists display moderate levels of narcissism and psychological entitlement. For example, this kind of person might organize a community event, but will insist on being the centre of attention during the event.</p>
<p>This group is particularly interested in food-related items like bottled water and snacks. A communal egoist might stock up on these products, not only for themselves, but with the intention of sharing with their neighbours in an effort to stand out.</p>
<p><strong>4. Agentic egoists.</strong> Agentic egoists are characterized by high levels of narcissism and psychological entitlement. For example, an agentic egoist might cut in line because they believe their time is more valuable than others. </p>
<p>In terms of purchasing, agentic egoists are willing to spend more on items that directly benefit them. For instance, they might buy the last three bottles of an expensive, brand-name cough syrup, without considering that others might need it, too.</p>
<h2>What this means for consumers</h2>
<p>A significant lesson we’ve learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, and the subsequent global turmoil, is the importance of being ready for the unexpected.</p>
<p>If you’ve ever found yourself filling your shopping cart to the brim in a moment of panic, you’re not alone. But understanding who we are, why we make certain decisions and how we can be more considerate is the first step toward making better consumer choices. </p>
<p>Are you an egalitarian, thinking of the community while only buying what you need? Or perhaps you identify as a conformist, sticking strictly to items advised by health authorities? Recognizing these traits in ourselves can be a wake-up call, encouraging us to shop more responsibly, especially in times of fear and panic.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A sign that says '1 packet per person' taped to a shelf of water bottles" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/557363/original/file-20231102-15-fqwrmq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/557363/original/file-20231102-15-fqwrmq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=407&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/557363/original/file-20231102-15-fqwrmq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=407&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/557363/original/file-20231102-15-fqwrmq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=407&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/557363/original/file-20231102-15-fqwrmq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=511&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/557363/original/file-20231102-15-fqwrmq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=511&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/557363/original/file-20231102-15-fqwrmq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=511&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Understanding our motivations and behaviours as consumers can help us make wiser decisions.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>What this means for retailers</h2>
<p>Understanding the traits of different customer groups isn’t just about boosting profits. It’s a way to guide businesses in serving communities ethically and effectively, especially in times of crisis.</p>
<p>For example, if most of your customers tend to follow the crowd (conformists), consider offering reliable public health information in your stores. If your clientele leans towards fairness (egalitarians), make fair distribution of essential items a core part of your community support strategy.</p>
<p>If you cater to individuals who focus on their self-interest (agentic egoists), think about the long-term impact of promoting high consumption and how to encourage responsible buying. If a large portion of your customers are community-focused (communal egoists), think about setting up ongoing community-sharing programs or donation drives.</p>
<p>As we reflect on the challenges we’ve faced, retailers have an opportunity to plan for a future where their actions benefit not only their business, but society as a whole. Enhancing our self-awareness enables us to handle chaotic circumstances more gracefully and make decisions that are advantageous for everyone in our vicinity.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/215972/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Understanding the traits of different customer groups can help shoppers and businesses serve their communities more ethically and effectively, especially in times of crisis.Seung Hwan (Mark) Lee, Professor and Associate Dean of Engagement & Inclusion, Ted Rogers School of Management, Toronto Metropolitan UniversityOmar H. Fares, Lecturer in the Ted Rogers School of Retail Management, Toronto Metropolitan UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1989492023-02-08T06:05:57Z2023-02-08T06:05:57ZThe Last of Us: why we should all think like preppers – and how to do it<p>The acclaimed post-apocalyptic TV series <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2023/jan/16/the-last-of-us-review-one-of-the-finest-tv-shows-you-will-see-this-year">The Last of Us</a>, based on a hugely popular video game, featured a character – Bill – who has managed to live through the nightmare because he has prepared for such an eventuality – he is what he calls a “survivalist”. </p>
<p>“Prepping” – as it is widely known – is a way of anticipating and adapting to impending <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7151311/">conditions of calamity</a> by preparing homes, rooms and bunkers to survive in. </p>
<p>COVID-19, the limits on certain foodstuffs caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the cost of living crisis have pushed “preppers” from the fringes <a href="https://news.sky.com/story/uk-prepper-movement-growing-with-more-people-hoarding-supplies-at-home-in-case-current-crises-escalate-12770339">towards the mainstream</a>. </p>
<p>Despite attempts by preppers to <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/petersuciu/2020/03/23/preppers-are-sharing-tips-on-surviving-covid-19-via-social-media/?sh=341d638814cf">push back on stereotypes</a>, prepping does still come with associations of doomsday and apocalyptic thinking. <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1002/per.2216?journalCode=erpa">Research</a> also suggests that preppers tend to be conspiratorial, often displaying traits such as low agreeableness, paranoia, and cynicism. </p>
<p>Yet many of us became partial “preppers” during the recent pandemic. We stocked up on loo rolls and rationed products, buying as many items with long shelf lives as we were allowed to by <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/sep/25/tesco-sales-covid-rationing-toilet-roll-flour">local supermarkets</a>. Survival and a degree of panic were certainly driving our actions, and at times irrationally so. </p>
<h2>Prep the right way</h2>
<p>Nevertheless, if done in the right way, prepping – thinking ahead and being proactive – is the opposite of panic buying. Instead, it means stocking up on key essentials over a long period of time, so that in the future there is no need to panic buy. </p>
<p>When demand for products surges, it leads to shortages which can cause what is known as a “<a href="https://qz.com/emails/quartz-obsession/2064752/the-bullwhip-effect">bullwhip effect</a>”. This is the phenomenon where increased demand by consumers creates unsustainable and exaggerated demand across the entire supply chain. This can lead to product shortages but also higher levels of waste due to unnecessary stock production. Stocking up on key items early can help prevent this. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Woman reaching for tin in supermarket" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/508354/original/file-20230206-17-2fbepe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/508354/original/file-20230206-17-2fbepe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=368&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/508354/original/file-20230206-17-2fbepe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=368&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/508354/original/file-20230206-17-2fbepe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=368&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/508354/original/file-20230206-17-2fbepe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=462&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/508354/original/file-20230206-17-2fbepe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=462&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/508354/original/file-20230206-17-2fbepe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=462&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Stock up on essentials slowly over time.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/shopping-consumerism-people-concept-woman-taking-1747031606">Ground Picture/Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>And preparing for emergencies has always been both the logical and sensible thing to do. A “<a href="https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home-products/a33605583/bug-out-bag-list/">bug-out bag</a>” or “go bag” – a bag packed with survival supplies such as food, water, medications, radios and flashlights – is <a href="https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/checklist-earthquake-go-bag/2918161/">considered essential</a> in regions prone to natural disasters when rapid evacuation may be necessary. </p>
<p>Pre-pandemic preppers tend to be associated with an irrational fear of “doomsday”, while those who stocked up on vital goods during the pandemic have been (often unfairly) portrayed as hoarders. We propose a new kind of prepping, without the anticipation of doomsday and the stigma of hoarding. Here are four ways to become a responsible prepper. </p>
<h2>1. Take a drip-fed approach</h2>
<p>Being conscientious in your purchasing habits will allow you to responsibly “prep” while smoothing out the demand in the supply chain, leading to less shortages. Buying the odd extra packet of something or pack of loo roll to add to your usual cupboard stores over time can become your normal buying pattern, as opposed to emergency bulk-buying at once.</p>
<h2>2. Create a personalised ‘bug-out bag’</h2>
<p>Fill it with items essential to you and your family, such as cooking utensils, toiletries, solar-powered batteries, reserves of candles and food and medicines with a long shelf life. In the event of natural disasters such as snowstorms and floods or events such as power cuts, having your bug-out bag will help you feel more prepared to weather the storm. </p>
<h2>3. Go back to basics</h2>
<p>Build the capacity to make your own basic food products such as bread and pasta and invest in the equipment and ingredients to do this. Pasta was a staple in <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/5456bc24-6dd4-11ea-9bca-bf503995cd6f">pandemic pantries</a>, leading to widespread stock shortages. A responsible prepper would learn to make their own – and feed their neighbours at the same time. The same goes for bread.</p>
<h2>4. Consider using more tinned foods</h2>
<p>Prepping may be an interim solution to navigate through the current cost of living crisis. Introducing cheaper tinned foods or other long-life products into your shopping basket may help ease <a href="https://ahdb.org.uk/news/consumer-insight-canned-meat-and-uht-milk-set-for-cost-of-living-renaissance">financial pressures</a>. Tinned goods have a longer shelf life so are less likely to spoil before you use them in times of need. </p>
<p>Should another event happen that prompts panic buying, responsible preppers can also help limit supply chain disruptions. They will already have the items they need, and won’t contribute to the emptying of supermarket shelves. Maybe it’s time we all found our inner prepper.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/198949/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Stocking up responsibly could mean you are prepared for emergencies, save money – and help keep supply chains running.Kamran Mahroof, Associate Professor, Supply Chain Analytics, University of BradfordLiz Breen, Director of the Digital Health Enterprise Zone (DHEZ), University of Bradford, Professor in Health Service Operations, University of BradfordLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1797902022-04-18T13:06:04Z2022-04-18T13:06:04ZAs COVID hit Kenya and South Africa, race and class fears were amplified on Twitter<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/456623/original/file-20220406-14518-uyhirt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Image by da-kuk/Getty Images</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>It’s common in both Kenya and South Africa for there to be everyday conversations about inequalities in power relations and between “races”, classes and ethnic groups. Kenya, in East Africa, and South Africa, in southern Africa, share a history of British colonial divisions. In both countries, social movements and protest have sought to address these social injustices – like <a href="https://theconversation.com/feesmustfall-the-poster-child-for-new-forms-of-struggle-in-south-africa-68773">#FeesMustFall</a>, <a href="https://www.okayafrica.com/real-story-behind-menaretrash-south-africas-viral-hashtag/">#MenAreTrash</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SabasabaMarchForOurLives?src=hash">#SabaSabaMarchForOurLives</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23OccupyParliamentKE&src=typed_query">#OccupyParliamentKE</a>.</p>
<p>Socio-economic and political divides were further exacerbated by the global COVID-19 pandemic and the responses of the Kenyan and South African governments. As countries went into lockdowns, citizens used social media platforms to voice their concerns. </p>
<p>During the first weeks of COVID-19 cases reported in Kenya and South Africa, there were hundreds of thousands of tweets posted by distressed citizens. Our study of these tweets was undertaken in order to see what kind of conversations were happening – and if they reinforced postcolonial social inequalities in the countries. </p>
<p>Over 129,541 tweets were collected from Kenya and 237,528 from South Africa between 5 March and 31 March 2020 using <a href="https://tags.hawksey.info">Twitter Archiving Google Sheet</a> (TAGS). The tweets, from ordinary citizens, were then grouped into themes and the major themes were used to produce a research report.</p>
<p>Our <a href="https://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/intellect/jams/2022/00000014/00000001/art00003">study</a> revealed several issues raised. These were divided into four themes: racialised politics, classism, privilege and panic buying, and ethnicity and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/inequality/2017/nov/08/us-vs-them-the-sinister-techniques-of-othering-and-how-to-avoid-them">‘othering’</a> (or prejudice against certain groups). These themes, outlined below, echoed issues of discrimination that have characterised postcolonial states. </p>
<p>In short, we found that the first recorded cases of COVID-19 in South Africa and Kenya in March 2020 spawned a maelstrom of tweets reflecting fears and anxieties about the virus, as well as other deeply rooted prejudices. The rage towards white communities and the powerful and privileged class can be read as fatigue with the existing postcolonial issues.</p>
<h2>Racialised politics</h2>
<p>Power and the racialised politics of the pandemic dominated the Twitter conversations in both countries. At the beginning of 2020, media reports had indicated that black communities in the US were <a href="https://www.bmj.com/content/369/bmj.m1483.full">hardest hit</a> by the pandemic due to continued institutionalised discrimination. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/social-media-users-in-kenya-and-south-africa-trust-science-but-still-share-covid-19-hoaxes-157894">Social media users in Kenya and South Africa trust science, but still share COVID-19 hoaxes</a>
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<p>The first cases of COVID were reported on 5 March and 13 March 2020 in South Africa and Kenya, respectively. These first reports indicated the virus had been brought into both countries by “privileged” citizens. </p>
<p>The first case of COVID in South Africa was a white South African from KwaZulu-Natal province, who had travelled back from Europe. In Kenya, 239 passengers who had arrived from China were blamed for bringing in COVID. This resulted in a strong resentment in South Africa towards the white communities, and a resentment towards the Chinese in Kenya. </p>
<p>Racial conversations worsened when some Kenyans and South Africans regarded COVID-19 as a foreign disease. As one South African tweet stated:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Imagine dying from an overseas disease when you don’t even own a passport, let alone being in a plane or ship, except for a relationship. Watseba these travellers di na le mahlale (You know, these travellers are silly) #COVID19SouthAfrica</p>
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<p>And another, in Kenya:</p>
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<p>We can confidently report that part of China mega loans agreement (initially negotiated by Raila as PM) was to allow illegal infiltration of Chinese into KE (Kenya), that’s why these despots continue to allow coronavirus infected Chinese to enter KE. #UhuruKenyatta #coronavirusInkenya"</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>Classism, privilege and panic buying</h2>
<p>When the World Health Organization (WHO) <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7569573/">declared COVID-19 a pandemic</a> on 11 March 2020, it led to drastic changes in public and social life. These were accompanied by perceived and sometimes real shortages of resources. There were <a href="https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/tea/news/east-africa/coronavirus-panic-buying-leads-to-empty-shelves-in-nairobi-1438590">reported cases</a> of long queues in the stores with individuals <a href="https://mg.co.za/article/2020-03-19-sa-shoppers-no-need-to-stockpile/">stockpiling</a> essential goods. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-the-dimensions-of-human-inequality-affect-who-and-what-we-are-137296">How the dimensions of human inequality affect who and what we are</a>
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<p>Class issues dominated the conversations on <a href="https://theconversation.com/panic-buying-in-the-wake-of-covid-19-underscores-inequalities-in-south-africa-134172">panic buying</a> in both Kenya and South Africa. While privileged white communities in South Africa were accused of participating in panic buying, Kenyan tweeters regarded those who participated in panic buying as a selfish and ignorant middle class: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>The only people who have panicked and started panic buying of goods are the wannabe middle class. The rest of us live on FAITH. One day at a time #StayHome #lockdown #COVID19KE</p>
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<p>Those who could panic buy had the resources to do so. Those who could not afford to, as Twitter users noted, could only panic:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>To the selfish assholes black and white. Stop hoarding stock on retail shops, just because you can afford to purchase 15 loaves of bread doesn’t mean the rest of us don’t want to eat. You have clearly demonstrated if there was a deadly epidemic, you’d do the same #COVID19SouthAfrica</p>
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<h2>Ethnicity and othering</h2>
<p>Propagation of ‘othering’ in Twitter conversations was also noticed in both South Africa and Kenya. Apart from the resentment towards white and Chinese communities, <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-kenya-could-move-away-from-the-politics-of-ethnicity-77980">ethnic stereotyping</a> was evident in online conversations. These were linked to the ability to survive the pandemic due to behaviours associated with certain ethnic stereotypes. Ethnic stereotypes and prejudices are divisive and generally show an unfavourable attitude towards certain groups. As one Kenyan Twitter user put it:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>BREAKING NEWS! We need 2 Kikuyu’s to go to China waibe dawa ya coronavirus, 2 Kalenjins watoroke nayo mbio, 2 luos warushe mawe in case kuharibike, 2 maasai waruke nayo border, 2 kamba and 3 kisii for supernatural powers for protection and 2 Luyhas wakule evidence #covid19kenya’ </p>
<p>(We need two individuals from the Kikuyu community to go and steal medicine from China, two from the Kalenjin communities to run with it, two from the Maasai community to cross the border with it, two from Kamba and Kisii communities to use their supernatural powers for protection and two from the Luhya community to eat the evidence afterwards)</p>
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<p>And a South African tweet read:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Worry yam is watching all those rich South Africans (majority white) who bought more than they needed throw these away once the outbreak is brought under control on the back of many preventable deaths. #COVID19SouthAfrica"</p>
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<h2>The colonial lives on in the postcolonial</h2>
<p>These Twitter conversations in the first few weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic in Kenya and South Africa reveal a range of unique experiences and biases shaped by postcolonial legacies of power. They represent ongoing racial and ethnic issues that are highly contested and deep-seated in the historical antecedents of both countries.</p>
<p>In building a post-COVID society, government policies must systematically address these postcolonial issues and legacies of power and racial and ethnic identity in order to shape a society that is responsive to the needs of all its citizens.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/179790/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Job Mwaura is affiliated with the University of Cape Town. He receives funding from the Open Society Foundation. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ufuoma Akpojivi receives funding from the National Research Foundation, NRF. </span></em></p>Online rage towards white communities and privileged classes can be read as fatigue with the postcolonial state.Job Mwaura, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Cape TownUfuoma Akpojivi, Associate Professor in Media Studies, University of the WitwatersrandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1812832022-04-14T18:32:28Z2022-04-14T18:32:28ZJust Stop Oil: protests will be even more disruptive if they kick off panic buying<p>Protesters from the climate activist groups Just Stop Oil and Extinction Rebellion have blocked at <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/apr/11/no-10-condemns-guerrilla-tactics-of-just-stop-oil-blocking-fuel-deliveries">least 11</a> <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-coventry-warwickshire-61065016">fuel depots</a> across England and disrupted supplies (though it’s always tough to quantify exactly how much disruption there has been).</p>
<p>Petrol stations also experienced delays back in <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/world/live-news/uk-fuel-crisis-09-28-21/index.html">September 2021</a>, partly due to a lack of drivers and resulting panic buying. These two events are caused by two completely different phenomenon on the extremes of supply and demand and go to show just how fragile the modern supply chain is, and how disruption can affect the day to day lives of millions.</p>
<p>Oil is a finite resource that can mostly only be produced at a fixed rate. Governments can and do stockpile reserves to balance seasonal demand spikes and unplanned disruptions such as extreme weather or conflict. However, stockpiling only really helps what we call the “upstream” supply chain, which takes oil from the wells to refineries. What is known as the “downstream” supply chain links the refineries to the pumps, and it is here that the UK’s shortages have occurred.</p>
<p>Petrol companies can only supply at a broadly linear rate, allowing for spikes (or falls) in demand or supply of <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0161893820300090">a few percent</a>. Shortages at the beginning of the 2021 event were within these limits. However, rumours of supply constraints (partly due to a lack of <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/bp-restrict-uk-petrol-station-deliveries-due-driver-shortage-itv-2021-09-23/">truck drivers</a> to deliver the fuel) and recent memories of food shortages at the start of the pandemic, led to people panic buying. This created queues, which created more hype, leading to more people wanting to fill up before they thought the queues would get worse, and this led to genuine shortages – perhaps an example of a self-fulfilling prophecy.</p>
<p>The driver shortage hasn’t really gone away, yet between late 2021 and mid 2022, there were no more shortages. The queues at the pumps were almost entirely due to human behaviour. </p>
<h2>Why is it different now?</h2>
<p>This time round, the shortages are again in the downstream supply chain, but are caused by protesters physically <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/apr/11/no-10-condemns-guerrilla-tactics-of-just-stop-oil-blocking-fuel-deliveries">blockading refineries</a>, preventing the tankers from replenishing filling stations. Refined petrol and diesel are still transported to fuel stations via lorries, so if you block the lorries leaving, the fuel won’t be delivered. </p>
<p>So the causes are very different, but the current protests may yet led to a similar demand-led shortages if panic buying ensues. </p>
<p>A better parallel might be the events of September 2000 when <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/sep/23/autumn-2000-fuel-shortages-uk-standstill-price-protest-panic-buying">fuel price protesters blocked refineries</a>, leading to fuel running out for a number of weeks. Blocking deliveries for even a few days will often cause up to two weeks shortages if they lead to panic buying – which leaves a situation where lower than normal filling station tanks need even more replenishing, and thus requiring higher than normal levels of deliveries to correct. The road fuel supply chain is like many modern industries that practise “<a href="https://www.cips.org/knowledge/procurement-topics-and-skills/operations-management/just-in-time/">just-in-time</a>” operations, meaning that very little stock is kept where the consumer buys them, and the system relies on constant replenishment. </p>
<p>Since fuel is delivered by humans, it is hard to catch up quicker than normal. People can only work at a set rate before needing breaks, and it takes time to train and deploy extra workers, it is something that is just not cost effective to do in order to deal with extraordinary circumstances.</p>
<h2>What can we do to prevent the problems?</h2>
<p>As shortages at the pumps can be caused by two entirely phenomena in the supply chain, preventing them requires two different approaches, both of which are essentially out of the control of supply chain planners. Excessive demand-based shortages can be easily prevented by not panic buying, though this is <a href="https://theconversation.com/do-you-really-need-more-petrol-or-toilet-paper-there-are-better-ways-to-take-control-in-a-crisis-168975">easier said than done</a> as it involves trying to influence mass consumer behaviour at short notice. </p>
<p>Supply-based shortages, such as the current Stop Oil blockades, can in theory be controlled more easily by governments. After all, this type of protest action is not legal and protesters can be moved on, even if by that point the disruption is often already done. </p>
<p>In recent trials of protesters from the campaign group Insulate Britain, a judge said that, even though the protesters had broken the law, he and large parts of society had <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/apr/13/insulate-britain-protesters-praised-by-judge-who-fined-them">sympathy for their environmental causes</a>. Ultimately the protesters have a point: we do need to stop using oil to power road vehicles, and move to <a href="https://theconversation.com/electric-cars-could-one-day-power-your-house-heres-how-to-make-it-happen-171430">battery electric vehicles</a>. </p>
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<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="Imagine weekly climate newsletter" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<p><strong><em>Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?</em></strong>
<br><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/newsletters/imagine-57?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=Imagine&utm_content=DontHaveTimeTop">Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead.</a> Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/newsletters/imagine-57?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=Imagine&utm_content=DontHaveTimeBottom">Join the 10,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.</a></em></p>
<hr><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/181283/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tom Stacey does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Fragile supply chains can handle protests better than massive extra demand.Tom Stacey, Senior Lecturer in Operations and Supply Chain Management, Anglia Ruskin UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1745292022-01-09T17:34:44Z2022-01-09T17:34:44ZSupermarket shortages are different this time: how to respond and avoid panic<p>Australia has experienced plenty of supermarket shortages since the COVID pandemic began. The emerging crisis now is a bit different. </p>
<p>In 2020 and 2021, empty shelves were due to spikes in demand, as shoppers responded to lockdowns by buying more toilet paper, pasta and other consumables. This disrupted the usual rhythms of predictable supply chains. Apart from the first wave in March 2020, shortages were localised. </p>
<p>Now the shortages are due to supply-side problems, and occurring (almost) nationally. As Omicron infections surge in every state apart from Western Australia, supply chains are being crippled by the sheer number of transport, distribution and shop workers now sick or required to isolate.</p>
<p>The major problem now is in transport and distribution. The Transport Workers’ Union says a <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-01-04/food-shortages-at-major-supermarkets-covid-rises/100737066">third to half</a> of Australia’s truck drivers are off work. Woolworths chief executive Brad Banducci <a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/coronavirus-supermarket-shortages-woolworths-coles-aldi-grappling-with-impact-of-omicron/ac3d6a2a-30f6-4905-a9f4-5067d8627053">said on Friday</a> more than 20% of distribution centre staff and more 10% of store workers are absent. </p>
<p>There are also problems in production, particularly in meat processing – an industry prone to the <a href="https://theconversation.com/treating-workers-like-meat-what-weve-learnt-from-covid-19-outbreaks-in-abattoirs-145444">spread of COVID-19</a>. Hundreds of workers in eastern states abattoirs are off work, according to Meat Industry Council chief executive Patrick Hutchinson. <a href="https://7news.com.au/news/australia/meat-industry-warns-food-shortages-imminent-unless-workers-can-access-rapid-antigen-testing-c-5182666">He has warned</a> of severe shortages within weeks due to the lack of rapid antigen tests.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/treating-workers-like-meat-what-weve-learnt-from-covid-19-outbreaks-in-abattoirs-145444">Treating workers like meat: what we've learnt from COVID-19 outbreaks in abattoirs</a>
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<h2>A self-fulfilling crisis</h2>
<p>Then, of course, there is the response of shoppers to shortages (or the expectation of shortages). We’ve seen how this works multiple times: products disappear from shelves, people buy more in response. Fear of shortages become a self-fulfilling prophecy.</p>
<p>Coles has <a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/coronavirus-supermarket-shortages-woolworths-coles-aldi-grappling-with-impact-of-omicron/ac3d6a2a-30f6-4905-a9f4-5067d8627053">already imposed buying limits</a> on certain meat items (except for WA) and warned customers to expect shortages for all of January. Woolworths and ALDI have not (apart from limits on hard-to-get rapid antigen tests).</p>
<p>But they might be forced to. That depends mostly on what happens in the next weeks in NSW, which plays a large role in national grocery logistics and where COVID-19 infections are surging.</p>
<p>So what to do? </p>
<h2>What you can do</h2>
<p>Open your freezer, go to your pantry. Do you have three weeks’ worth of essential items? Mince, pasta, rice, flour, beans, toilet paper? </p>
<p>I’ve been following these issues closely over the past two years. All of Australia’s supermarket supply crises were dealt with in less than three weeks. You really don’t need more than that.</p>
<p>If you don’t have three weeks’ supply, and have both the space and money to stock, go for it. If not now, because there is a shortage, then in the next opportunity. This is not about panic-buying or hoarding. I’m not suggesting you buy a year’s worth of toilet paper or tinned food. Just always have enough so you can have peace of mind next time. </p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/disagreeability-neuroticism-and-stress-what-drives-panic-buying-during-the-covid-19-pandemic-141612">Disagreeability, neuroticism and stress: what drives panic buying during the COVID-19 pandemic</a>
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<h2>Supermarket restrictions</h2>
<p>The pandemic has exposed the brittleness of just-in-time supply-chain management, which over decades honed the amount of stock held by manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers to a minimum. This was fine for maximising profits in good times. Now the times call for more of a just-in-case approach, with enough flexibility to avoid the system collapsing in a crisis.</p>
<p>Supermarkets have already made changes to avoid repeats of the supply crises of 2020 and 2021 by keeping more stock on hand. But this alone can’t solve the problem. The grocery business is competitive. Floor and refrigeration space is finite. They can’t afford to overstock.</p>
<p>What they can do is move to a more decentralised system for restricting quantities of items customers can buy when shortages do occur. </p>
<p>Every store can calculate safety stock levels to protect them from supply-chain fluctuations. When an item is about to go missing from the shelves they shouldn’t have to wait for a decision from the central office to restrict quantities. They should be able to do it on the spot, while corporate headquarters works out alternatives.</p>
<p>When the problem is not lack of inventory but insufficient people to move products from warehouses to stores, the solution is visibility – letting consumers know about staff shortages, that there’s more than enough product on its way as soon as logistics allow, and that other stores are better supplied. </p>
<h2>Cooperation is key</h2>
<p>It is unlikely every store will be equally hit by labour shortages at the same time. Imagine evolving to a point where a Coles store with empty shelves informs shoppers the product is available two blocks away at the IGA. </p>
<p>For this to happen, of course, requires cooperation between competitors, and therefore easing of the usual anti-cartel rules that expressly prohibit collusion. But there is a clear precedent for this. In April 2020 the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission gave temporary authorisation to telcos, banks, medical suppliers and supermarkets <a href="https://theconversation.com/look-whos-talking-australias-telcos-banks-and-supermarkets-granted-exemption-to-cartel-laws-135303">to collaborate</a> to ensure supply of essential goods and services.</p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/look-whos-talking-australias-telcos-banks-and-supermarkets-granted-exemption-to-cartel-laws-135303">Look who's talking: Australia's telcos, banks and supermarkets granted exemption to cartel laws</a>
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<p>There is a clear case for supermarkets to cooperate now – and for the foreseeable future, with the Australian Retailers Association expecting the supply chain issues to continue for <a href="https://www.news.com.au/finance/business/retail/australia-facing-meat-shortage-as-processors-face-covidinduced-labour-shortage/news-story/928ea8a1c78048c7892d7af493f83d86">at least 12 months</a>.</p>
<p>Both federal and state governments can help set the rules of engagement, and provide accurate and actionable information to give the correct dimension of the problem. They have, for example, data from past decisions such as the effect of Victoria’s <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-08-06/what-does-cut-in-victoria-abattoirs-output-mean-for-supermarkets/12530570">restrictions on abattoirs</a> in 2020. </p>
<p>If everyone is ready, doing what they can, we may reach a culture of resilience in Australia where empty shelves in supermarkets is but a bitter memory.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/174529/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>A/Prof Flavio Macau is affiliated with the Australasian Supply Chain Institute (ASCI)</span></em></p>In 2020 and 2021 empty supermarket shelves were due to spikes in demand. Now it’s a supply-side issue. The solutions, though, are substantially the same.Flavio Macau, Associate Dean Teaching & Learning, Edith Cowan UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1729732022-01-03T19:13:26Z2022-01-03T19:13:26ZHow COVID-19 changed the way we shop – and what to expect in 2022 and beyond<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434972/original/file-20211201-25-9wo0gq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C406%2C7763%2C3869&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>COVID-19 has dramatically changed how businesses and consumers behave. We’ve seen panic buying, the rise of the “homebody economy” and a strong shift towards contactless shopping. </p>
<p>As we emerge from the worst of the pandemic, it seems the right time to reflect on the most important changes in consumer behaviour we’ve seen, and to make some predictions about COVID-19’s lasting and pervasive effects on how we shop. </p>
<h2>Pandemic purchasing</h2>
<p>One of the first impacts of COVID-19 was supermarket shelves being repeatedly stripped of <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-toilet-paper-run-is-like-a-bank-run-the-economic-fixes-are-about-the-same-133065">toilet paper and other products</a> ahead of lockdowns. </p>
<p>One debate this behaviour sparked was about how much it could be considered irrational <a href="https://theconversation.com/psychology-can-explain-why-coronavirus-drives-us-to-panic-buy-it-also-provides-tips-on-how-to-stop-134032">panic buying</a> – or if it was rational to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2020.05.028">stockpile</a> in response to the irrational behaviour of others.</p>
<p>It was a real-life lesson in game theory. Decisions that make perfect sense for individuals can add up to a bad outcome for the community.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/a-toilet-paper-run-is-like-a-bank-run-the-economic-fixes-are-about-the-same-133065">A toilet paper run is like a bank run. The economic fixes are about the same</a>
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<h2>Spending less, spending more</h2>
<p>Spending more money at the supermarket was at least possible. </p>
<p>Consumption patterns changed significantly due to closed borders, restricted shopping, stay-at-home orders and general uncertainty.</p>
<p>Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows large drops in spending on transport, accommodation, recreation and entertainment services, and catering.</p>
<hr>
<p><strong>Individual services consumption, 2020</strong></p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437167/original/file-20211213-21-yaa52g.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Individual services consumption by select categories, 2020." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437167/original/file-20211213-21-yaa52g.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437167/original/file-20211213-21-yaa52g.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=285&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/437167/original/file-20211213-21-yaa52g.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=285&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/437167/original/file-20211213-21-yaa52g.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=285&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/437167/original/file-20211213-21-yaa52g.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=358&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/437167/original/file-20211213-21-yaa52g.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=358&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/437167/original/file-20211213-21-yaa52g.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=358&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Percentage change in household services consumption by select categories per quarter 2020.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.abs.gov.au/articles/insights-household-consumption-december-quarter-2020">ABS, Insights into household consumption, December quarter 2020</a></span>
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<p>Spending on food increased marginally, and on alcohol even more. The main reasons cited for increased drinking, according <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17249189">to one study</a>, were stress (45.7%), increased alcohol availability (34.4%) and boredom (30.1%).</p>
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<p><strong>Individual goods consumption, 2020</strong></p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437170/original/file-20211213-21-mpsqit.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Individual goods consumption, 2020" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437170/original/file-20211213-21-mpsqit.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437170/original/file-20211213-21-mpsqit.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=284&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/437170/original/file-20211213-21-mpsqit.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=284&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/437170/original/file-20211213-21-mpsqit.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=284&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/437170/original/file-20211213-21-mpsqit.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=357&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/437170/original/file-20211213-21-mpsqit.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=357&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/437170/original/file-20211213-21-mpsqit.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=357&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Percentage change in household goods consumption by select categories per quarter 2020.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.abs.gov.au/articles/insights-household-consumption-december-quarter-2020">ABS, Insights into household consumption, December quarter 2020</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>Spending also increased on home-related electronics, <a href="https://app.content.deloitte.com.au/e/er?s=1192815365&lid=14989&elqTrackId=BDCA277B6E6DA734D62B2FA4F09A5680&elq=&elqaid=3147&elqat=2">streaming services</a>, furnishings, hardware and <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11113101">pet-related items</a>. </p>
<p>Interest increased in traditional activities such as <a href="https://doi.org/10.1108/BFJ-10-2020-0949">cooking</a>, <a href="http://www.roymorgan.com/findings/8857-australian-magazine-print-readership-and-cross-platform-audiences-september-2021-202111220401">reading</a> and <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-09-23/pandemic-gardening-in-times-of-crisis-will-it-continue/100462576">gardening</a>.</p>
<p>It is too early to tell to what extent these pandemic-driven shifts will translate into permanent behavioural change. However, research <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.euroecorev.2021.103953">published last month</a>, based on surveying 7,500 households in France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain, supports the likelihood of at least some long-term sectoral shifts in consumer behaviour.</p>
<h2>Predictions of a shopping splurge</h2>
<p>As <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/no-more-lockdowns-international-borders-could-open-sooner-perrottet-20211007-p58y7x.html">restrictions relax</a>, some marketing experts are predicting “<a href="https://www.thedrum.com/news/2021/09/17/australian-consumers-go-revenge-spending-sprees-once-covid-19-restrictions-are">revenge spending</a>” – shopping sprees with abandon.</p>
<p>Certainly many higher-income households have the money to splash out on a holiday, or new car, or home renovation, with Australians banking an estimated <a href="https://www.afr.com/policy/economy/consumers-sitting-on-140b-post-pandemic-war-chest-20210730-p58eh3">A$140 billion in extra savings</a> during the pandemic. </p>
<p>Other research, such as the National Australia Bank’s quarterly <a href="https://business.nab.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/NAB-Consumer-Sentiment-Survey-Q3-2021.pdf">Consumer Sentiment Survey</a>, suggests the pandemic has engendered greater caution. In its most recent survey, 37% said they were mindful or careful of where they spent their money (42% of women and 33% of men). In terms of purchasing influences, 43% nominated supporting local businesses, compared with 15% environmental issues and 14% social concerns such as labour practices. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="In NAB's consumer sentiment survey 43% said their purchases were influenced by the desire to support local business." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437363/original/file-20211213-27-kcqcn8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437363/original/file-20211213-27-kcqcn8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=379&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/437363/original/file-20211213-27-kcqcn8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=379&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/437363/original/file-20211213-27-kcqcn8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=379&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/437363/original/file-20211213-27-kcqcn8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=477&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/437363/original/file-20211213-27-kcqcn8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=477&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/437363/original/file-20211213-27-kcqcn8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=477&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">In NAB’s consumer sentiment survey 43% said their purchases were influenced by the desire to support local business.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Some <a href="https://theconversation.com/will-the-end-of-the-covid-19-pandemic-usher-in-a-second-roaring-20s-159017">have wondered</a> if, in the wake of COVID-19, we are about to experience another “Roaring Twenties” – emulating that period of economic prosperity and cultural dynamism in the 1920s following the deprivations of the first world war and the “Spanish flu” epidemic. </p>
<p>The circumstances are not exactly analogous. But new technologies and changes in habits are likely to drive several long-term changes in the way we shop.</p>
<h2>Going contactless</h2>
<p>Our desire to reduce physical contact accelerated contactless payment methods. Research (from the Netherlands) suggests this will, for most, <a href="https://econpapers.repec.org/paper/dnbdnbwpp/701.htm">be a permanent change</a>, accelerating a steady decline in the use of cash for shopping.</p>
<hr>
<p><strong>ATM cash withdrawals using debit cards</strong></p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/393749/original/file-20210407-13-vei244.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/393749/original/file-20210407-13-vei244.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/393749/original/file-20210407-13-vei244.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=247&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/393749/original/file-20210407-13-vei244.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=247&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/393749/original/file-20210407-13-vei244.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=247&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/393749/original/file-20210407-13-vei244.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=311&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/393749/original/file-20210407-13-vei244.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=311&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/393749/original/file-20210407-13-vei244.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=311&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Monthly, seasonally adjusted.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.rba.gov.au/statistics/tables/xls/c04hist.xlsx">Reserve Bank of Australia</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>Technology enabling payments using smartphones, such as supermarkets introducing a way to pay by <a href="https://www.news.com.au/finance/business/retail/woolworths-coles-and-big-banks-introduce-new-way-to-pay/news-story/78aa9368f17330cf5d7b0c8299317c94">scanning a QR code</a>, will contribute to this shift.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-paradox-of-going-contactless-is-were-more-in-love-with-cash-than-ever-158383">The paradox of going contactless is we're more in love with cash than ever</a>
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</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Ways to buy things without ever having to step inside a shop – such as curbside pick-up and home delivery – should also continue. In 2021 we’ve seen a number of startup businesses promising grocery deliveries <a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/start-up-services-grocery-delivery-15-minutes-sydney-melbourne/d392902b-1458-4b4f-ad66-7979a58a7475">in 15 minutes</a>.</p>
<h2>“Omni” experiences</h2>
<p>Increasingly our buying behaviour will be shaped by what marketing experts call <a href="https://nielseniq.com/global/en/insights/analysis/2020/its-time-to-think-omnichannel-shopper-not-just-omnichannel/">omnichannel shopping</a> – a fancy word meaning using a variety of experiences to make a purchase. </p>
<p>You might, for instance, go into a store to try out headphones, then go online to read third-party reviews and compare prices from different retailers.</p>
<p>Technologies such as <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2021.102720">augmented reality</a> will facilitate this trend. For example, IKEA’s <a href="https://www.ikea.com/au/en/customer-service/mobile-apps/say-hej-to-ikea-place-pub1f8af050">Place</a> app allows you to see how furnishing will into your space.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="IKEA's 'Place' app." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437212/original/file-20211213-25-1y3ewzx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437212/original/file-20211213-25-1y3ewzx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/437212/original/file-20211213-25-1y3ewzx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/437212/original/file-20211213-25-1y3ewzx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/437212/original/file-20211213-25-1y3ewzx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/437212/original/file-20211213-25-1y3ewzx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/437212/original/file-20211213-25-1y3ewzx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">IKEA’s ‘Place’ app.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">IKEA</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>More and more what were once physical experiences will have their digital variants, from attending university to having an appointment with a health professional to taking a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UymdMZwF2kE">tour of the British Museum</a> or <a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/407710/The_Grand_Canyon_VR_Experience/">exploring the Grand Canyon</a>. Though these cannot replicate the real experience, they will be an increasingly common way to “try before you buy”.</p>
<p>The future of shopping will gradually merge the digital and physical. But whatever changes, some things will remain constant: the human desire to make experiences convenient, fun and meaningful.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/172973/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Adrian R. Camilleri does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>We’ve seen panic buying, the rise of the “homebody economy” and a strong shift towards contactless shopping. So what now?Adrian R. Camilleri, Senior Lecturer in Marketing, University of Technology SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1722202021-11-23T16:32:21Z2021-11-23T16:32:21ZB.C. floods reveal fragile food supply chains — 4 ways to manage the crisis now and in the future<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/433274/original/file-20211122-17-50mvh2.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C3000%2C2025&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A portion of the Coquihalla Highway near Hope, B.C., is destroyed following heavy rains and mudslides in B.C. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward </span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The COVID-19 pandemic has taught the world that our supply chains are fragile and vulnerable to disruptions. Panic-buying and product hoarding, <a href="https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-hoarding-why-you-can-stop-amassing-toilet-paper-135659">like the irrational run on toilet paper in the early stages of pandemic</a>, cause shortages, a lesson Canadian consumers are learning again after recent extreme weather events in British Columbia.</p>
<p>The heavy rainfall caused severe flooding and mudslides, destroying portions of major highways, damaging railways and cutting access to the port of Vancouver. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-an-atmospheric-river-drenched-british-columbia-and-led-to-floods-and-mudslides-172021">How an 'atmospheric river' drenched British Columbia and led to floods and mudslides</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>The possibility of supply chain disruptions as a result of the flooding <a href="https://vancouverisland.ctvnews.ca/crazy-new-level-of-panic-buying-milk-and-meat-shelves-picked-dry-at-some-vancouver-island-grocery-stores-1.5672370">put consumers in panic-buying mode again,</a> almost two years since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. </p>
<p>The emotional trauma from product shortages in the early days of the pandemic is understandably fresh. Unfortunately, a new bout of surging demand could significantly stress our already strained food supply chains due to <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/12/business/global-supply-chain-nightmare/index.html">ongoing global supply chain disruptions.</a> </p>
<p><a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2021-11-18/the-u-s-supply-chain-crisis-is-already-easing">Good news</a> is starting to emerge on the decongestion of ports, suggesting the end is near for the global supply chain crisis. But the B.C. floods have delayed this recovery for some domestic supplies as the Vancouver port is disconnected from the rest of the country.</p>
<p>Does this mean a food crisis is looming in the months ahead? </p>
<p>As researchers of food security and supply chain management, we outline the critical steps consumers, policy-makers and producers must take to manage supply chain disruptions and guarantee continued access to food in the wake of the B.C. floods.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A motorboat travels along a highway flooded with brown water past an abandoned transport truck." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/433492/original/file-20211123-14-12p7ywb.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/433492/original/file-20211123-14-12p7ywb.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=411&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/433492/original/file-20211123-14-12p7ywb.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=411&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/433492/original/file-20211123-14-12p7ywb.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=411&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/433492/original/file-20211123-14-12p7ywb.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=516&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/433492/original/file-20211123-14-12p7ywb.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=516&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/433492/original/file-20211123-14-12p7ywb.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=516&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A boat travels along the Trans-Canada Highway past an abandoned transport trailer in a flooded area of Abbotsford, B.C.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Panic-buying challenges food security</h2>
<p>Food supply chains are mapped out based on regular demand patterns. Very often, production is planned months ahead and commodities travel a long path before reaching the end consumer. With a sequence of long, interconnected events, unplanned changes and delays can grow in impact. </p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/poms.13293">Adverse road conditions are one of the most significant reasons for delays in food supply chains</a>. Delays and minor shortages are expected when there are interruptions to the usual delivery paths. But unless the roads take ages to clear, these pressures can be relieved slowly but steadily. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="An overpass goes over a flooded highway." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/433294/original/file-20211122-23-lm1ti9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/433294/original/file-20211122-23-lm1ti9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=411&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/433294/original/file-20211122-23-lm1ti9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=411&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/433294/original/file-20211122-23-lm1ti9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=411&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/433294/original/file-20211122-23-lm1ti9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=517&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/433294/original/file-20211122-23-lm1ti9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=517&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/433294/original/file-20211122-23-lm1ti9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=517&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">An overpass is pictured going over a flooded Highway 1 near Chilliwack, B.C.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The most significant risk in the short term is due to panic buying. In fear of a supply shortage, <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2021.666715">people irrationally buy more than they can consume</a> in a reasonable time and before food expiry dates. Such unprecedented surges in demand can even break fully functioning supply chains, let alone strained and disrupted ones. </p>
<p>The problem is often not a supply shortage problem, but an excess demand problem. In other words, fear of shortages becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy due to hoarding. </p>
<p>Furthermore, excess purchases result in increased food waste, and disruptions can have a more significant impact on low-income people or those <a href="https://www.oecd.org/coronavirus/policy-responses/food-supply-chains-and-covid-19-impacts-and-policy-lessons-71b57aea/">with reduced mobility</a>. Demand surges also create a vicious cycle of backlogs and delays by spreading the panic to retailers and their suppliers, hindering the recovery from supply chain crises even further. </p>
<h2>4 ways to manage supply chain disruptions</h2>
<p>Both the pandemic and the B.C. floods remind us that staying calm and being prepared for the next disruption is a necessity.
Here are four essential steps we can take:</p>
<p><strong>1. More responsible media coverage:</strong> The first step is to avoid panic-inducing media coverage, such as doomsday images of empty grocery store shelves. Panic-buying should be discouraged immediately, not after the damage is done. The media should also report on effective and reliable retail policies, like <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/06/business/grocery-stores-toilet-paper-cleaning-wipes/index.html">temporarily capping the number of items per household</a>, to help prevent speculative hoarding in food markets.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="An empty refrigerated section of a grocery story." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/433270/original/file-20211122-23-ofsudq.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/433270/original/file-20211122-23-ofsudq.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=421&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/433270/original/file-20211122-23-ofsudq.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=421&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/433270/original/file-20211122-23-ofsudq.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=421&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/433270/original/file-20211122-23-ofsudq.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=529&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/433270/original/file-20211122-23-ofsudq.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=529&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/433270/original/file-20211122-23-ofsudq.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=529&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The media should avoid too many photos like these since they can encourage panic-buying.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><strong>2. Transparent and timely updates by governments:</strong> The next important step is to share timely information with all stakeholders in the supply chain. Information on product availability, pricing, delivery lead times and disruption recovery plans can help tremendously <a href="https://www.oecd.org/coronavirus/en/data-insights/transparency-and-policy-co-ordination-valuable-lessons-on-averting-a-food-crisis">in managing expectations</a>. If the public is given frequent updates about the current situation, the potential shortages, how long they might last and how the government is addressing them, the impact of panic-inducing media coverage and social media posts can be lessened. </p>
<p><strong>3. Distributed risks:</strong> Since the beginning of the pandemic, we’ve seen the risks from putting all of our eggs in one basket. An example is the massive microchip shortage. <a href="https://gcn.com/articles/2021/06/08/covid-microchip-shortage.aspx">Even if one tiny component cannot be produced due to the disruptions, the whole supply chain comes to a halt</a>. Supply chains are as strong as their weakest links. For businesses and policy-makers, the next logical step is to disseminate and thereby reduce the risks. Some options are diversifying suppliers (ideally from different geographical regions), reinforcing transportation networks, creating alternative delivery routes and using alternative modes of transportation. </p>
<p><strong>4. Emergency preparedness protocols in place:</strong> <a href="https://www.epa.gov/climate-indicators/weather-climate">Climate-induced weather events are expected to be more frequent in the years to come</a>. But besides natural disasters, supply chains are susceptible to other dangers like strikes, accidents or financial risk. We cannot afford to wait until the next disaster catches us by surprise and then respond, because reactive emergency relief efforts can delay the recovery significantly. Instead, companies and local governments should proactively prepare for future supply chain risks by developing multiple recovery plans. </p>
<p>There’s an entire body of literature dedicated to developing disaster and emergency plans to minimize supply chain disruptions prior to calamitous events — namely, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/jscm.12253">humanitarian logistics</a>, which involves organizing the delivery and warehousing of supplies during natural disasters or other emergencies to the affected areas and their citizens. </p>
<p>The public and private sector can also immensely benefit by collaborating with supply chain management experts so that the next time we face any type of supply chain disruption, no one needs to fear they’ll run out of food to feed their families.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/172220/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Food supply chains had already taken a serious hit by panic-purchasing during the COVID-19 pandemic. The B.C. floods remind us how effective supply chain management planning can help avert crises.Feyza G. Sahinyazan, Assistant Professor, Beedie School of Business, Department of Technology & Operations Management, Simon Fraser UniversitySerasu Duran, Assistant Professor, Operations and Supply Chain Management at Haskayne School of Business, University of CalgaryLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1689752021-10-01T09:06:42Z2021-10-01T09:06:42ZDo you really need more petrol, or toilet paper? There are better ways to take control in a crisis<p>The beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic saw consumers flocking to the shops to urgently stock up on items <a href="https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-why-people-are-panic-buying-loo-roll-and-how-to-stop-it-133115">such as toilet paper</a> and pasta. </p>
<p>This phenomenon, termed “panic buying”, is now happening again in Britain – but this time it’s fuel that people are after. Continued panic buying is only going to perpetuate any fuel shortages. So what can be done to stop it?</p>
<p>Panic buying is a natural reaction to a stressful experience. In particular, it’s <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/10/3513">a response to uncertainty</a>. When people feel things are uncertain, they tend to focus on something that gives them a sense of certainty and makes them feel in control. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-why-people-are-panic-buying-loo-roll-and-how-to-stop-it-133115">Coronavirus: why people are panic buying loo roll and how to stop it</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Of course, most people can’t recruit new lorry drivers or mobilise the army to help with the delivery – but they can stock up on fuel. In taking this action, they feel as if they are doing something proactive, and <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/10/3513">taking charge</a> of the situation. </p>
<p>COVID-19 has exacerbated uncertainty around what the future may hold and increased anxiety for many people, which is notable given we know <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0191886916308546?casa_token=cVlOZcaw5ogAAAAA:X0KXqRShknJ5quut9mRzfMyIVNVzGoFTQmW0NFj_ckj3ztmB-JCCutC6BgpRMv0YAcxBotqslDw">existing anxiety is a precursor</a> for panic buying. So when people heard there were concerns about petrol supply, it’s not altogether surprising they began queuing up <a href="https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/cars/article-10033875/Jerry-sales-spiked-petrol-panic-buying-says-Halfords.html">with extra Jerry cans</a>. People may be more susceptible to this behaviour than usual given the pandemic.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A man fills up his car with petrol." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/424011/original/file-20210930-24-l5x3x8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/424011/original/file-20210930-24-l5x3x8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/424011/original/file-20210930-24-l5x3x8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/424011/original/file-20210930-24-l5x3x8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/424011/original/file-20210930-24-l5x3x8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/424011/original/file-20210930-24-l5x3x8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/424011/original/file-20210930-24-l5x3x8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Panic buying is a response to uncertainty.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/man-filling-gasoline-fuel-car-holding-282565256">Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Interestingly, the act of buying can cause the brain to release <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02791072.2012.660110">small amounts of dopamine</a>, sometimes referred to as “the reward chemical”. This too, at least partially, helps to explain the relief people might feel when they finally find a petrol station that still has fuel.</p>
<h2>Herd mentality and the media</h2>
<p>Humans are social creatures, and as such, we are often influenced by what other people are doing. We observe the choices others make and infer why they act the way they do. We tend to assume that <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/10/3513">the majority have a better assessment</a> of what’s going on and that panic buying is the correct behavioural choice.</p>
<p>The media can play a pivotal role in preventing panic buying as they tend to <a href="https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s11469-020-00320-1.pdf">guide the public perception</a> of what people in general are doing. Continuous exposure to images of and reports about the long queues at the petrol pumps will see people perceive that “everybody else is doing it”, potentially encouraging them to copy this behaviour. Where possible, this kind of coverage is better off avoided.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-game-theory-of-panic-buying-and-how-to-reduce-it-134107">The game theory of panic-buying – and how to reduce it</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Authorities needs to be clear</h2>
<p>Precise and thoughtful communication is key to alleviating concerns, and therefore deterring people from panic buying. In this case, the public needs reassurance that there is not going to be a petrol shortage, as well as information about solutions – but it needs to be convincing. For example, announcing that <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-58687026">5,000 HGV drivers</a> will be able to get temporary work visas without stating how they will be recruited may not be seen as entirely credible.</p>
<p>The way language is used can also affect people’s perception of a situation. It’s encouraging to see <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-58740507">reports indicating</a> the government has advised councils not to use the terms “panic” or “panic buying” in this discussion. Indeed, widespread use of the word “panic” means we perceive others as panicking. And thinking back to the principles of herd behaviour, we tend to assume others know what they’re doing – and we become more likely to follow suit.</p>
<p>So it’s important that the government, local authorities and the media be careful with the language they use during this time.</p>
<h2>Things you can do</h2>
<p>If you are in the UK and currently affected by the crisis, ask yourself whether you really need to buy petrol. If you decide you don’t really need to — perhaps you can leave your car at home and take public transport — even this basic thought process is a way of taking charge and reducing anxiety levels. </p>
<p>If you’re concerned about the possibility of not being able to drive your car, it’s a good idea to come up with a plan B. What specifically would you do if you found yourself with an empty tank? Could you perhaps travel to work with a neighbour who still has petrol in their car? Check bus and train routes and travel times to see whether that may be a solution. </p>
<p>By having a specific plan, you will feel as if you are in charge – albeit in a different way – and this might make you feel less inclined to urgently seek petrol.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/168975/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Cathrine Jansson-Boyd does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>As continued panic buying will only perpetuate any fuel shortages, it’s important to think about what can be done to curb it.Cathrine Jansson-Boyd, Reader in Consumer Psychology, Anglia Ruskin UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1568042021-05-06T12:27:51Z2021-05-06T12:27:51ZWhy people with disabilities are at greater risk of going hungry – especially during a pandemic<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/398145/original/file-20210430-21-w10y7j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C6%2C4200%2C2735&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Stocking up on food can be tough when using a wheelchair, motorized scooter, walker or cane.
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/man-on-a-motorized-wheelchair-carries-food-donated-by-the-news-photo/1229705266">Paul Hennessy/NurPhoto via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed uncomfortable and distressing truths about American society: namely, the struggle many Americans face just getting by.</p>
<p>Yet, while the <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/732618;%20https://dx.doi.org/10.3390%2Fnu12072096">pervasive food insecurity</a> that has always existed in the U.S. became <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/19320248.2020.1830221">more visible</a>, how the problem disproportionately affects people with disabilities has received less attention.</p>
<p>As an <a href="https://anthro.ucsc.edu/faculty/index.php?uid=lissa">ethnographer of food, poverty and welfare</a>, I study how people respond to economic scarcity through caregiving networks. Although caregiving networks like neighborhood mutual aid groups and pop-up food banks quickly emerged to support vulnerable groups during the pandemic, people with disabilities have continued to face additional challenges. </p>
<h2>High risk of food insecurity</h2>
<p>An estimated <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6732a3">25% of U.S. adults</a> have some form of physical or intellectual disability. Functional disabilities – such as the inability to walk more than a quarter of a mile, climb stairs or lift objects weighing over 10 pounds – are among the <a href="https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2018/demo/p70-152.pdf">most common</a>. </p>
<p>People with disabilities are more likely to experience other <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.dhjo.2020.100944">chronic health conditions</a> such as <a href="https://doi.org/10.1001/archinte.166.19.2109">anxiety and depression</a>, <a href="https://www.doi.org/10.1001/archpsyc.64.10.1180">arthritis and cardiovascular problems</a>. They also have higher rates of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S2468-2667(20)30076-1">unemployment</a> and <a href="https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2018/demo/p70-152.pdf">economic instability</a>. In 2019, the poverty rate for Americans with disabilities was <a href="https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED605685.pdf">almost 27%</a> – more than double the rate of those without disabilities.</p>
<p>Collectively, these factors put them at greater risk for food insecurity, which the <a href="https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-security-in-the-us/definitions-of-food-security.aspx">USDA defines</a> as limited or uncertain access to adequate food.</p>
<p>Yet people with disabilities are <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.dhjo.2020.100944">underrepresented in accounts of pandemic-related poverty</a> and food insecurity. Given their <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthplace.2019.03.011">reduced access</a> to food shopping, they are less likely to be included in research on disruptions to the food system. This is <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dhjo.2020.100943">prompting demands</a> from health researchers and disability activists for greater attention and solutions.</p>
<h2>Shopping with a disability</h2>
<p>Even before the pandemic, limited physical access to food shopping and preparation for persons with disabilities led to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthplace.2019.03.011">greater reliance on precooked and heavily processed foods</a>.</p>
<p>In the early stages of the pandemic, many Americans endured long lines and stocked up on groceries to avoid repeat trips to the stores. But these inconveniences – as well as going from store to store in search of <a href="https://www.marketwatch.com/story/coronavirus-pandemic-shows-the-us-food-supply-chain-is-due-for-an-upgrade-experts-say-2020-04-17">scarce goods</a> – can be <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s11524-020-00437-7">physically and emotionally grueling</a> for people with limited mobility or stability, or who are easily exhausted. And although many supermarkets created <a href="https://www.aarp.org/home-family/your-home/info-2020/coronavirus-supermarkets.html">special shopping hours</a> for elderly and disabled customers, getting there at specific times required people to either be able to drive or navigate the scheduling uncertainties of public transportation. </p>
<p>Once inside stores, disabled persons are further disenfranchised by the physical limitations of shopping. Shopping for one to two weeks – as <a href="https://www.fda.gov/food/food-safety-during-emergencies/shopping-food-during-covid-19-pandemic-information-consumers">public health officials had recommended</a> – is especially difficult while using a wheelchair or motorized scooter that holds only a small basket of goods. The same is true for pushing a cart or carrying a basket while using a walker or cane. </p>
<p>Customers who are able to drive themselves to shop may also find themselves unable to get their items from the store into their vehicles. Stores that once offered assistance stopped these services in order to protect their employees.</p>
<p><a href="https://apnews.com/article/race-and-ethnicity-hunger-coronavirus-pandemic-4c7f1705c6d8ef5bac241e6cc8e331bb">Food donation and delivery programs</a> attempted to meet some of these needs by providing meals and groceries for several days or even weeks at time. Despite these efforts, demand outstripped the availability of both <a href="https://www.nycfoodpolicy.org/oversight-the-impact-of-the-covid-19-pandemic-on-snap-administration-food-pantries-and-soup-kitchens">food supplies</a> <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/heatherknight/article/With-hunger-is-rising-in-S-F-food-pantries-are-15690173.php">and volunteers</a>. </p>
<p>For some individuals with disabilities, going to a food bank or community service center was also an <a href="https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520307674/feeding-the-crisis">important social encounter</a> – an opportunity to visit friends, access news and interact with social workers. Once those <a href="https://www.nycfoodpolicy.org/oversight-the-impact-of-the-covid-19-pandemic-on-snap-administration-food-pantries-and-soup-kitchens">programs were shuttered</a> or <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/heatherknight/article/He-uplifts-me-S-F-heroes-bring-solace-15815460.php">made contactless</a>, many people were further isolated in their homes. Studies have shown that social isolation among people with disabilities reduces not only access to food but also the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1300/J052v17n02_029">motivation to prepare and eat food</a>.</p>
<p>While new digital technologies have allowed customers to outsource their food shopping to gig workers, they require basic infrastructure, equipment and knowledge that may be <a href="https://www.nycfoodpolicy.org/oversight-the-impact-of-the-covid-19-pandemic-on-snap-administration-food-pantries-and-soup-kitchens/">unaffordable to low-income people with disabilities</a>. Moreover, reliance on others to choose one’s food can cause people to feel a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1300/J052v17n02_02">loss of control and autonomy</a> over their food choices.</p>
<p>In many ways, the stories that have been most visible around food insecurity have been those of the people who were in fact able to stand in lines, stock up on groceries and even barter with neighbors for supplies. During a pandemic that has made life much more difficult for billions of people around the world, I believe the experiences of disabled persons have become further marginalized and less visible. </p>
<p>[<em>Insight, in your inbox each day.</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters/the-daily-3?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=insight">You can get it with The Conversation’s email newsletter</a>.]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/156804/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Melissa L. Caldwell does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>While long lines and food shortages are frustrating for most consumers, they can be physically and emotionally grueling for people with disabilities.Melissa L. Caldwell, Professor of Anthropology, University of California, Santa CruzLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1543622021-02-01T01:33:31Z2021-02-01T01:33:31Z‘Panic-buying’ is the new normal: how supply chains have adapted<p>I live in Perth. Like most people here, on Sunday I was ready for a busy week of getting the kids to school, going to work, visiting the gym and so on. I planned to spend the hot afternoon at the beach.</p>
<p>That changed with the announcement of <a href="https://www.mediastatements.wa.gov.au/Pages/McGowan/2021/01/Western-Australia-enters-five-day-lockdown-from-6pm-tonight.aspx">a five-day lockdown</a>, effective from 6pm, sparked by a security guard at one of Perth’s quarantine hotels testing positive to COVID-19.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://theconversation.com/perths-5-day-circuit-breaker-lockdown-isnt-an-overreaction-to-a-single-case-its-basic-common-sense-154348">lockdown rules are similar</a> to those in other Australian cities in recent months. Shops for essentials such as groceries, medicine and other necessary supplies remain open. West Australian premier Mark McGowan urged people not to “<a href="https://www.news.com.au/world/coronavirus/australia/perth-lockdown-2021-residents-rush-to-supermarkets-after-lockdown-announcement/news-story/3d6996acb25d26ef3fbc08371f176a9a">panic buy</a>”:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>There is no need to rush to the supermarket. There will not be a shortage of toilet paper or other goods. You will be able to go out and shop for essentials over the course of this week. I urge everyone to remain calm and to act responsibly.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>It made no difference. Within the hour, long queues formed outside supermarkets, service stations and other stores. People stood in 35⁰C heat for up to an hour awaiting their turn to strip store shelves of toilet paper and other items. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/a-toilet-paper-run-is-like-a-bank-run-the-economic-fixes-are-about-the-same-133065">A toilet paper run is like a bank run. The economic fixes are about the same</a>
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<p>We’ve seen this all before – <a href="https://theconversation.com/desperately-seeking-toilet-paper-pasta-or-hand-sanitiser-some-relief-is-just-weeks-away-133916">nationwide in March</a>, in <a href="https://theconversation.com/dont-panic-again-heres-why-melbournes-supermarket-shortages-will-quickly-pass-142288">Melbourne in July</a>, Adelaide in November, and Sydney in December. </p>
<p>People are nervous, I get it. But the premier is right. There’s no need. The only shortages that will occur are those brought on by this very behaviour.</p>
<p>The good news, however, is that any induced shortages will be short-lived. In fact, by the time you read this, the fuss might be over.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Waiting to take a COVID-19 test at the Royal Perth Hospital Sunday, afternoon, January 31 2021." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/381553/original/file-20210201-19594-31y442.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/381553/original/file-20210201-19594-31y442.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/381553/original/file-20210201-19594-31y442.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/381553/original/file-20210201-19594-31y442.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/381553/original/file-20210201-19594-31y442.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/381553/original/file-20210201-19594-31y442.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/381553/original/file-20210201-19594-31y442.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">A hot day to queue: waiting to take a COVID-19 test at the Royal Perth Hospital Sunday, afternoon, January 31 2021.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Richard Wainwright/AAP</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>The psychology behind stockpiling</h2>
<p>For some, the news of a lockdown has little to no effect. Their behaviour is guided by a rational response to uncertainty. They watch in dismay the extreme responses of others during stressful times. </p>
<p>For some a lockdown triggers a complex psychological chain reaction, leading to panic buying and hoarding. Particularly for those more prone to feelings of insecurity and anxiety, stocking up on items is a way to feel more in control. The fact there’s no actual need, because supermarkets will be open tomorrow, has little to do with it. The fear of missing out (FOMO) overcomes rationality.</p>
<p>Not all stockpiling behaviour can be explained away as “irrational”, though. As we’ve seen in recent cases such as GameStop’s share price, people also make “rational” calculations about other people’s behaviour, and respond accordingly. </p>
<p>In this case, based on past evidence, it might seem quite sensible to predict some people will “panic buy” and decide the rational response to that irrational behaviour is to get in first. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/stocking-up-to-prepare-for-a-crisis-isnt-panic-buying-its-actually-a-pretty-rational-choice-132437">Stocking up to prepare for a crisis isn't 'panic buying'. It's actually a pretty rational choice</a>
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</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>There’s little a political leader (or anyone else) can say that will change this. In fact, official warnings against panic buying might even do more harm than good by drawing attention to its probability.</p>
<h2>Things will work themselves out</h2>
<p>The good news is that any shortages are likely to be very short-lived – even if this lockdown continues beyond its scheduled five days.</p>
<p>Last March, when stockpiling led to <a href="https://theconversation.com/desperately-seeking-toilet-paper-pasta-or-hand-sanitiser-some-relief-is-just-weeks-away-133916">weeks-long shortages </a> of toilet paper, hand sanitiser and grocery staples such as pasta, it was because most of Australia was involved. Business and supply chains primed to run as efficiently as possible with highly predictable demand were taken by surprise. They struggled to compensate. </p>
<p>This time, having now had multiple experiences to hone their preparedness and response, supply chain managers know the drill.</p>
<p>Knowing such lockdowns are now a risk, they’ve added more fat to supply chains. Inventory is not kept at a minimum. Supermarkets are quick to limit the amount customers can buy. In most case shelves stripped today will likely be replenished tomorrow. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/a-toilet-paper-run-is-like-a-bank-run-the-economic-fixes-are-about-the-same-133065">A toilet paper run is like a bank run. The economic fixes are about the same</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>With a localised event, also – in this case Perth and Western Australia’s southwest – extra stock can be diverted from around the country. There’s no need for suppliers to suddenly ramp up production. The only thing stopping supply returning to normal is the speed of transportation and restocking. </p>
<p>What happened across the nation in March 2020 was like a major accident leading to delays and detour on a supply chain highway. This situation is more like a car with a flat tyre slowing the traffic on a local road. </p>
<h2>What comes next?</h2>
<p>COVID-19 outbreaks – with short, sharp lockdowns in response – look to be part of the “new normal”, until the pandemic is over. </p>
<p>Outbreaks of store stripping also look to be part of the new normal. But so long as we don’t have these outbreaks in multiple states simultaneously, they will pass quickly.</p>
<p>So stay calm and avoid the rush.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/154362/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Flavio Romero Macau is affiliated with the Australasian Supply Chain Institute</span></em></p>Another local lockdown, another outbreak of shoppers stockpiling. Fortunately supply chains are now prepared.Flavio Macau, Associate dean, Edith Cowan UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1351282020-12-15T18:47:57Z2020-12-15T18:47:57ZWhat motivates changing behaviours during COVID-19 — from toilet paper hoarding to physical distancing<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/373206/original/file-20201206-13-axlphu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=41%2C0%2C9192%2C6839&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">In the early stages of the pandemic, people suddenly started buying toilet paper in bulk, leading to widespread shortages.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has forced us to make some pretty interesting decisions like buying in bulk, wearing face masks and physically distancing from other people. </p>
<p>How do we make decisions and choices? Motivation is <a href="https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024750807365">the reason why we do what we do</a>. Motivation theory analyzes the why of human behaviour as a means of understanding people’s decision-making processes. But people’s motivations are more complicated than we might think, because decisions are usually based on several factors that may or may not be context-specific. </p>
<p>My research looks at <a href="https://journals.sfu.ca/cje/index.php/cje-rce/article/view/4193">how people can be motivated to innovate</a>: I study <a href="http://doi.org/10.18848/1835-9795/CGP/v08i04/58072">learning environments</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1186/s13731-020-00120-w">leadership strategies</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1932202X20904772">how to develop innovation potential</a>. Understanding motivation in innovation can help us understand how we make decisions in unusual times.</p>
<h2>Motivation depends on what’s going on</h2>
<p>Motivation as a field of study <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/23359409">can be found in the writings of the Greek philosopher Plutarch and the Bhagavad Gita</a> — among many other ancient texts — although focused psychological studies or motivation dynamics are rather recent. In the past century, motivation theory has looked at whether motivation is extrinsic or intrinsic to a task.</p>
<p>Those of us who study motivation have many theories to choose from, each with strengths and weaknesses. You would, however, be hard-pressed to find a framework more easily transferable than <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-097086-8.26099-6">expectancy-value-cost theory (EVC)</a>, which understands motivation as <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/inst.201013141a">uniquely contextual for each situation</a>. </p>
<p>One way to think of it is as a dynamic interaction of the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1006/ceps.1999.1015">expectancies (confidence in the outcome) and values (what makes it valuable) going up against the perceived costs related to a given task</a> to a given person in a given context. If your held expectancies and values outweigh your perceived costs, you are likely motivated to complete the task, and vice versa.</p>
<h2>What drove people to buy up toilet paper?</h2>
<p>For most of March and April 2020, it was pretty hard to come by toilet paper because it was <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/coronavirus-toilet-paper-shortage-panic/2020/04/07/1fd30e92-75b5-11ea-87da-77a8136c1a6d_story.html">literally rolling off the shelves</a>. People were panic-buying toilet paper in bulk, <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/science-and-philosophy/202003/why-toilet-paper">and supply couldn’t keep up with demand</a>. </p>
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<a href="https://theconversation.com/psychology-can-explain-why-coronavirus-drives-us-to-panic-buy-it-also-provides-tips-on-how-to-stop-134032">Psychology can explain why coronavirus drives us to panic buy. It also provides tips on how to stop</a>
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<p>Applying EVC theory suggests that people were increasingly motivated to buy toilet paper because of a perceived need to be prepared. The increase in perceived value went unchecked, and plenty of people’s motivation to buy toilet paper went through the roof as fast as their probably sound reasoning went down the drain.</p>
<p>Increasing, explaining or revealing the values of any task (good or bad) makes it more likely that someone will do it. When you effectively communicating why people should behave in a certain way by explaining the value of a decision or choice, they are more likely to behave in that way.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/372154/original/file-20201201-13-140g93d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A woman wearing a surgical mask pushing a cart full of toilet paper" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/372154/original/file-20201201-13-140g93d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/372154/original/file-20201201-13-140g93d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/372154/original/file-20201201-13-140g93d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/372154/original/file-20201201-13-140g93d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/372154/original/file-20201201-13-140g93d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/372154/original/file-20201201-13-140g93d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/372154/original/file-20201201-13-140g93d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">In the early days of the pandemic, people panic bought toilet paper.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
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<h2>How did people adjust to working from home?</h2>
<p>A public health mandate may have necessitated many people to work from home, but until many people actually had settled into working from home, few would have believed that they could <a href="https://news.stanford.edu/2020/03/30/productivity-pitfalls-working-home-age-covid-19/">passably perform their role from home</a>. Folks might have been nervous or unconfident in their ability to accomplish their role early on, but over time, people grew into working from home or in whatever changed circumstance they found themselves working in. </p>
<p>In other words, we adapted to the reality in front of us. Lots of people would now be more likely to think it’s possible to capably manage working from home.</p>
<p>Our expectations of success are built by our lived experiences, especially the unplanned ones, and we are more comfortable doing what we have done in the past. These experiences change what we believe ourselves to be capable of doing. </p>
<h2>Motivating a desired outcome</h2>
<p>EVC theory can be applied to increase the chances of a specific outcome. As a first step, EVC theory splits the factors into two groups, those that promote the task outcome and those that hinder the task outcome. Naturally, we would want to make the promoting factors as big as possible and the hindering factors as small as possible <a href="https://qspace.library.queensu.ca/handle/1974/27642?show=full">as for instance innovating or changing thinking</a> .</p>
<p>This makes for a two-pronged approach to motivate people to make the desired choice: maximizing expectancies and values and mitigating costs, such as time investment, isolation, loss of stability, sense of safety and additional effort.</p>
<p>In the case of people adapting to physical distancing (or pretty much anything), providing easily understood information from a trusted source will likely increase the chances of the behaviour. Explaining in clear terms what someone will get from doing something builds one or more types of value, such as fulfilling a <a href="https://twitter.com/cityofhamilton/status/1336311836392775682">communal or shared duty</a>. </p>
<p>This can be applied anywhere, for example, fitness during the pandemic, healthy diets, physical distancing. The key is helping someone see and believe they can do something, explain what the whole point of the exercise is and what they get from doing it (fun, fulfilment, importance or reward) and then work to address their perceived barriers to actually doing it. This turns into the blueprint for driving desired behaviours.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/135128/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Eleftherios Soleas received funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada for his Doctoral work in motivating innovation. He works at Queen's University.</span></em></p>During the early stages of the pandemic, people adapted to changing situations by making new and different choices. But how did they make these decisions? Motivation theory can explain the process.Eleftherios Soleas, Adjunct assistant professor, Education, Queen's University, OntarioLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1494222020-11-17T13:22:32Z2020-11-17T13:22:32ZHoarding, stockpiling, panic buying: What’s normal behavior in an abnormal time?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/369168/original/file-20201112-23-1t4qlhq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=5%2C0%2C3958%2C2970&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Hoarding, stockpiling and panic buying have all increased during the pandemic. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/man-carries-heap-of-toilet-paper-royalty-free-image/1213254321?adppopup=true">Grace Cary via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Symptoms of <a href="https://formative.jmir.org/2020/10/e22043/">depression, anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorders</a> have emerged or worsened for many during the pandemic. This is no surprise to clinicians and scientists, who have been increasing worldwide access to mental health information and <a href="https://wellness.med.ufl.edu/">resources</a>. </p>
<p>But what effect has the pandemic had on another common but often misunderstood problem – hoarding? The issue first received attention when people piled up paper towels, toilet tissue and hand sanitizer in their shopping carts <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/11/heres-why-people-are-panic-buying-and-stockpiling-toilet-paper.html">at the start of the pandemic</a>, leading some people to wonder whether they or a loved one were showing signs of hoarding disorder.</p>
<p>The short answer is: Probably not. Hoarding disorder goes beyond stockpiling in an emergency. <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=GuqlxnAAAAAJ&hl=en">I am a psychiatrist</a> at the University of Florida and the director of the <a href="https://coard.psychiatry.ufl.edu/">Center for OCD, Anxiety and Related Disorders</a>. I also recently <a href="https://wwnorton.com/books/9780393713572/about-the-book/reviews">authored a book</a> on hoarding disorder. My work focuses on identifying the causes of hoarding and its impact on individuals and on society.</p>
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<img alt="Millions of Americans have hoarding disorder." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/369172/original/file-20201112-13-nelw40.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/369172/original/file-20201112-13-nelw40.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/369172/original/file-20201112-13-nelw40.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/369172/original/file-20201112-13-nelw40.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/369172/original/file-20201112-13-nelw40.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/369172/original/file-20201112-13-nelw40.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/369172/original/file-20201112-13-nelw40.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Millions of Americans have hoarding disorder, a serious psychiatric illness.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/abandoned-home-royalty-free-image/157568086?adppopup=true">shaunl via Getty Images</a></span>
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<h2>Millions have hoarding disorder</h2>
<p>Although often sensationalized in the popular press as a behavioral <a href="https://dailytitan.com/opinion/the-way-the-media-portrays-mental-illnesses-like-hoarding-and-ocd-maintain-harmful-stereotypes/article_f1edb9a1-33ad-521e-98c2-90eef9486df5.html">oddity</a>, <a href="https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/hoarding-disorder/what-is-hoarding-disorder">hoarding disorder</a> is a serious psychiatric illness affecting more than 13 million American adults. The cause is a complex interaction of biological and environmental factors. Doctors have known about hoarding for centuries, although the disorder was only formally recognized by the psychiatric community as a <a href="https://www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/practice/dsm">distinct psychiatric illness</a> in 2013. Perhaps the most famous person who had a hoarding disorder was <a href="http://indianmentalhealth.com/pdf/2015/vol2-issue2/The_Aviator.pdf">Howard Hughes</a>. </p>
<p>The disorder is chronic and often lifelong. Although symptoms typically begin in <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/da.22896">adolescence</a>, they usually do not become problematic until mid- to late adulthood. No one knows exactly why the disorder takes so long to manifest; perhaps as those with hoarding symptoms get older, their ability to decide what to discard becomes increasingly impaired. Or they might have fewer people around, like parents or spouses, to encourage them to get rid of unneeded items. </p>
<p>What is clear is that the increase in hoarding behaviors across the lifespan is not just a result of a lifetime’s accumulation of clutter. About <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jagp.2016.11.006">7% of adults</a> over age 60 have problematic hoarding; that’s one in every 14 people. </p>
<p>And contrary to popular belief, the defining feature of hoarding disorder is not clutter. Instead, it is the difficulty in discarding what’s no longer needed. The most commonly hoarded items are everyday belongings: clothes, shoes, containers, tools and mechanical objects like nails and screws, household supplies, newspapers, mail and magazines. Those with the disorder report feeling indecision about what to discard, or fear the item will be needed in the future. </p>
<p>This trouble in disposing of items, even common items like junk mail, plastic bags and plastic containers, leads to the accumulation of clutter. Over time, living and work spaces become unusable. In addition to affecting living spaces, hoarding also causes problems between spouses, between parents and their children, and between friends. At its worst, hoarding can also impact one’s ability to work. </p>
<p>Hoarding disorder has a substantial impact on public health, including not only <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2007.08.008">lost work days</a> but also increased rates of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/13607863.2013.814105">medical illness</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jocrd.2018.11.001">depression, anxiety</a>, risk of suicide and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/da.22439">cognitive impairment</a>. As many as half of those suffering from hoarding disorder will also suffer from depression, and 30% or more will have an anxiety disorder. </p>
<p>Hoarding-related clutter in homes increases the <a href="https://www.mentalhealthsf.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/BeyondOverwhelmed.pdf">risk of falls</a>, pest or vermin infestation, unstable or unsafe living conditions and difficulty with self-care. It may stun you to know that up to 25% of <a href="https://digitalcommons.wpi.edu/iqp-all/592/">deaths by house fire</a> are due to hoarding. </p>
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<img alt="During the pandemic, stores across the U.S. ran out of common household items, like toilet paper." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/369169/original/file-20201112-21-2rao60.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/369169/original/file-20201112-21-2rao60.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/369169/original/file-20201112-21-2rao60.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/369169/original/file-20201112-21-2rao60.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/369169/original/file-20201112-21-2rao60.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/369169/original/file-20201112-21-2rao60.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/369169/original/file-20201112-21-2rao60.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Because of excessive stockpiling and panic buying, stores across the U.S. ran out of common household items during the pandemic.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/general-view-of-the-empty-toilet-paper-and-paper-towel-news-photo/1207061653?adppopup=true">Icon Sportswire via Getty Images</a></span>
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<h2>Stockpiling and panic buying</h2>
<p>What is the difference between stockpiling, panic buying and hoarding? Will someone who stockpiled toilet paper and hand sanitizer in the early days of the pandemic develop hoarding disorder? Or are they instead rational and thoughtful planners?</p>
<p>While these terms are often used interchangeably, stockpiling and panic buying are not symptoms of hoarding disorder. Nor are they necessarily the result of a psychiatric or psychological condition. Instead, <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stockpile">stockpiling</a> is a normal behavior that many people practice in preparation for a known or anticipated shortage. The goal of stockpiling is to create a reserve in case there’s a future need.</p>
<p>For example, people who live in cold climates may stock up on wood for fireplaces and salt for driveways before the winter. Similarly, those who live in the southeast U.S. may stock up on gasoline and water before hurricane season.</p>
<p>That said, stockpiling can be excessive. During a crisis, it can lead to national shortages of essential items. This occurred early in the pandemic, when people bought toilet paper in large quantities and emptied store shelves for everyone else. </p>
<p>Ironically, the more media attention on stockpiling, the more it triggers <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/bjhp.12480">additional stockpiling</a>. People reading about a potential shortage of hand sanitizer will be driven to buy as much as possible until it’s no longer available for weeks or months.</p>
<p>While stockpiling is planned, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panic_buying">panic buying</a> is an impulsive and temporary reaction to anxiety caused by an impending crisis. Items, even if unneeded, may be purchased simply because they are available on store shelves. Panic buying may also include purchasing enormous quantities of a particular item, in volumes that will never be needed, or emptying a store shelf of that item. Panic acquiring, which involves getting free things through giveaways, food pantries or scavenging, also occurs during a crisis. </p>
<p>Unlike those with hoarding disorder, panic buyers and stockpilers are able to discard something no longer needed. Usually, after the crisis has passed, they can easily throw or give these items away. </p>
<h2>How to get help</h2>
<p>For some with hoarding disorder, the pandemic has made it even harder to dispose of unneeded items. Others find their material belongings provide comfort and safety in the face of increased uncertainty. Yet others have used the lockdowns as a reset – time to finally declutter their home. </p>
<p>If you or someone you know has problems with hoarding, help is available. Resources are on the <a href="https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/hoarding-disorder/what-is-hoarding-disorder">American Psychiatric Association</a> website and at the <a href="https://hoarding.iocdf.org/">International Obsessive Compulsive Foundation</a>.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/149422/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Carol Mathews receives funding from the National Institute of Health. She is affiliated with the Tourette Association of America, and the International Obsessive Compulsive Foundation. She is the author of the book: Recognizing and Treating Hoarding Disorder: How Much is Too Much? published by W.W. Norton & Co.</span></em></p>The pandemic has put a spotlight on a once little-discussed disorder – hoarding. But hoarding disorder is not what you might think.Carol Mathews, Professor of Psychiatry, University of FloridaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1459192020-09-10T05:26:00Z2020-09-10T05:26:00ZTrump reportedly played down the risk of COVID-19 to avoid ‘panic’. How much should leaders say, and when?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/357387/original/file-20200910-20-15ilr3m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">AAP/EPA/Doug Mills</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>News that US President Donald Trump was <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/bob-woodward-rage-book-trump/2020/09/09/0368fe3c-efd2-11ea-b4bc-3a2098fc73d4_story.html?no_nav=true&p9w22b2p=b2p22p9w00098">fully seized</a> of the deadly potential of the novel coronavirus, despite his sustained public dismissals, has provoked anger and surprise.</p>
<p>Audio recordings from interviews granted to veteran reporter Bob Woodward expose a clear disconnect between the president’s many public utterances, dating back to January, and those he made to Woodward intended for reporting at a later time.</p>
<p>“You just breathe the air and that’s how it’s passed,” Trump said in a February 7 interview with The Washington Post’s associate editor, before the US experienced its first confirmed coronavirus-related death. “And so that’s a very tricky one. That’s a very delicate one. It’s also more deadly than even your strenuous flus,” he continued. “This is deadly stuff.”</p>
<p>The president’s clarity came ten days after he had received dire warnings from his health and national security advisers to the effect that the world faced a health crisis not seen since the so-called Spanish flu of 1918-19.</p>
<p>Then, speaking to Woodward again on March 19, Trump explained his thinking had been deliberately calculated to “play it down”.</p>
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<p>I still like playing it down, because I don’t want to create a panic.</p>
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<p>That this president is strategic to the point of deceit will come as no surprise to his critics within America and beyond.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/donald-trump-blames-everyone-but-himself-for-the-coronavirus-crisis-will-voters-agree-135205">Donald Trump blames everyone but himself for the coronavirus crisis. Will voters agree?</a>
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<p>But some may be surprised to learn that, contrary to his ill-informed ramblings about COVID-19 <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/news/donald-trump-says-coronavirus-will-disappear-as-florida-cases-surge-for-fifth-day">simply disappearing</a>, or being treatable with bright lights and injections of disinfectant, Trump actually did comprehend the medical advice regarding the virus well before it tore a deadly swathe through the American population and overwhelmed its hospitals.</p>
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<p>Yet still he did little to co-ordinate a national response. He continued to undermine the kind of public awareness required to drive social distancing.</p>
<p>Whether Trump’s justification of avoiding public panic is the whole truth is itself questionable. It seems more likely that heading into an election year, with the strong US economy as his singular advantage, the president was simply unwilling to brook the economic damage required to fight the virus.</p>
<p>In any event, with the US death toll now <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/u-s-closes-grim-pandemic-milestone-200-000th-covid-19-n1239520">expected to surpass 200,000</a>, the decision to deceive Americans in order to limit public harm seems absurd.</p>
<p>Yet governments and their officials have often considered the dangers of public overreaction when disseminating emergency advice.</p>
<p>Sometimes this is because an uncontrolled public clamour would create a secondary crisis, and sometimes because public panic is itself the problem.</p>
<p>In 1974, South Australian Labor Premier Don Dunstan grabbed a loudhailer to address an anxious throng of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adelaide_Bank#:%7E:text=In%20October%201974%20the%20Hindmarsh,backed%20by%20the%20state%20government.&text=In%201992%20the%20Society%20amalgamated%20with%20the%20Hindmarsh%20Building%20Society.">Hindmarsh Building Society</a> depositors. He assured them their savings were safe, the institution was solvent and it was underwritten by the state treasury.</p>
<p>In October 2008, the Rudd government carefully calibrated its public utterances to avoid causing a run on financial institutions, while <a href="https://www.afr.com/policy/economy/the-gfc-remembered-ten-years-ago-it-was-all-about-saving-the-banks-20180924-h15spj">nonetheless announcing</a> deposit guarantees for some A$2 trillion in deposits and becoming guarantor for the wholesale funding requirements of Australian banks amid the gathering GFC storm.</p>
<p>Later, <a href="https://www.afr.com/companies/financial-services/the-gfc-10-years-on-big-banks-say-they-didnt-need-the-deposit-guarantee-20181004-h167io">it emerged</a> Kevin Rudd and his ministers were getting real-time information suggesting several banks were experiencing abnormal withdrawals, with Suncorp weathering a massive uptick pushing it close to insolvency. It was reported that one business figure <a href="https://www.afr.com/policy/economy/the-gfc-remembered-ten-years-ago-it-was-all-about-saving-the-banks-20180924-h15spj">allegedly withdrew A$3 million</a> and was taking it across town in a suitcase.</p>
<p>Needless to say, these graphic details were withheld, demonstrably in the interests of financial sector stability and, by extension, the greater public interest.</p>
<p>In that case, fear itself was the contagion.</p>
<p>Yet the emergent COVID-19 pandemic presented precisely the opposite problem. Fear or, less dramatically, public awareness offered the solution.</p>
<p>Health authorities quickly realised that the highest possible level of public observance via enhanced personal hygiene practices presented the only realistic hope of containing the pandemic.</p>
<p>In Australia, state governments, perhaps because they are more accustomed to receiving frontline emergency services briefings, acted quickly to invoke social distancing rules and aggressive health messaging. They introduced some extreme measures such as sporting bans, school closures, travel restrictions and border closures. Police were given extraordinary new powers.</p>
<p>The Commonwealth response was slower and more reluctant – notwithstanding that, by international standards, it appeared relatively front-footed.</p>
<p>Prime Minister Scott Morrison famously resisted many of the states’ more extreme measures. He even <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/inside-the-crisis-that-changed-australian-government-20200608-p550hl.html">advocated attendance</a> at large sporting events while reluctantly foreshadowing incoming limits on public gatherings.</p>
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<p>The then chief medical officer, Brendan Murphy, also questioned disruptive measures with border and <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-03-18/coronavirus-pandemic-schools-to-stay-open/12066116">school closures</a> criticised. Face masks were questioned, too, with the federal government insisting they offered no protection outside health-care settings and were, in any event, unnecessary. On March 9, Murphy <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/news/chief-medical-officers-interview-on-abc-radio-melbourne">told ABC Radio’s Ali Moore</a>:</p>
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<p>Well, certainly wearing a mask walking down the streets of Melbourne makes no sense at all because there’s no evidence of community transmission generally […] I’m certainly very opposed to people wearing them in the general community. </p>
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<p>Yet increased public awareness came with costs too. Australia garnered <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-53196525#:%7E:text=The%20supermarket%20chain%20has%20ordered,a%20third%20more%20than%20normal.&text=Australia%20has%20reported%207%2C500%20coronavirus,to%20start%20panic%2Dbuying%20again.">international headlines</a> for its run on toilet paper and other essentials, with supermarkets stripped of products, shoppers squabbling and retail staff abused for shortages or store-imposed item limits.</p>
<p>The lesson is that full transparency should be the default position of governments. But there can be an exception when fear itself is the central problem, and when publicly expanding on it would only deepen the crisis.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/grattan-on-friday-which-leaders-and-health-experts-will-be-on-the-right-side-of-history-on-covid-19-policy-134801">Grattan on Friday: Which leaders and health experts will be on the right side of history on COVID-19 policy?</a>
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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/145919/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Mark Kenny does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Transparency should be the default position of governments – unless fear itself is the greatest risk.Mark Kenny, Professor, Australian Studies Institute, Australian National UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1430282020-09-08T17:59:20Z2020-09-08T17:59:20ZHow behavioural science can help us understand human behaviour during a pandemic<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/356350/original/file-20200903-24-173863l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C21%2C1200%2C776&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Looking for dried pasta, cooking oil or spices? You're not alone.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Christopher Corneschi/Wikipedia</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>When the day comes that the Covid-19 pandemic recedes, one of things that will remain with us is witnessing our fellow humans’ irrational and sometimes extreme behaviour – and perhaps our own as well. These included <a href="https://www.sciencealert.com/study-finds-just-the-kind-of-people-who-were-panic-buying-all-of-the-toilet-paper">toilet-paper shortages</a>, publicly supporting lockdown measures while <a href="https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/06/03/coronavirus-boris-johnson-dominic-cummings-made-himself-irrelevant-lockdown-uk-britain/">privately doing otherwise</a> and large gatherings with <a href="https://www.francetvinfo.fr/sante/maladie/coronavirus/une-fete-de-la-musique-sans-trop-de-precautions-pour-oublier-le-coronavirus_4017437.html">little respect for social distancing</a>. </p>
<p>Such irrational behaviours can appear puzzling at first but are rooted in deeper cognitive and evolutionary psychological mechanisms. Many reflect what are called emergency decision and purchasing contexts (<a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13162-012-0030-9">Samson & Voyer, 2014)</a>. In a normal context – think pre-Covid-19 – individuals make decisions in their own time frames. In a pandemic, however, everyone is suddenly having to make the same type of decisions, within a very short time frame. This creates the perfect storm of factors that influence people and can sway some of them into behaving irrationally.</p>
<p>From a behavioural-science point of view, three main dimensions can explain emergency decision-making and associated irrational behaviours. </p>
<h2>Social creatures</h2>
<p>Many of the behaviours we are witnessing are driven by <strong>social factors</strong>. An individual’s societal environment – at a macro level, culture; at a micro level, groups of friends, people we share common interests, such as sports – plays an important role in determining his or her behaviour. These range from what others around us are doing to cultural norms – the types of shared values that are dominant in some nations. In those that have a more individualist culture – for example, the UK ands US – wearing a face mask can be seen to go against the value of individualism and respect for the expression of individual differences. In collectivist cultures – examples include China, Japan and Korea – behaviours should first and foremost conform to the norm and serve the group and broader interest of society. </p>
<p>Different behaviours, <a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/315590/americans-face-mask-usage-varies-greatly-demographics.aspx">such as disagreement around whether one should or not wear a mask in public</a>, are also influenced by social-identity phenomena. Political opinions are strong drivers of social identity and individuals end up following the recommendations made by the groups with whom they identify.</p>
<p>Behaviours are also guided by <strong>perceived social norms</strong>. If images of panicked shoppers emptying stores become widespread, they can cause us to perceive such behaviour as the norm and push us to do the same. In a normal context, only a small proportion of the population overstocks goods perceived as essential, the Covid-19 pandemic has caused a chain reaction of individuals mimicking each other, eventually leading to a self-fulfilling prophecy and generating actual shortages. As stocks are based on past shopping behaviours, supermarkets found themselves overwhelmed. The same can be applied to the wearing of face masks. As we see more people around us wearing – or not – face masks, we start inferring an implicit norm of either wearing or not wearing a mask.</p>
<h2>Short-term thinking</h2>
<p>The second dimension for explaining irrational behaviours is a cognitive one. We humans tend to display a <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0146167299025001006">short-term bias</a> – decisions are based on assigning greater value to short-term rewards (say, going out to a dinner with friends), as opposed to longer-term ones (e.g., flattening a rising curve of infections). </p>
<p>Such biases also help explain the empty shelves in supermarkets. When the context changes phenomenon’s, the very motivation behind buying also changes. In normal situations, individuals generally focus on seeking pleasure and avoiding pain, with one goal prioritized over the other. This is something psychologists refer to as <a href="http://psychology.iresearchnet.com/social-psychology/social-psychology-theories/regulatory-focus-theory/">regulatory focus</a>. In stressful contexts, individuals shift their dominant regulatory focus from promotion to prevention. In other words, in a pandemic, individuals focus primarily on what could go wrong, and try to prevent this from happening. </p>
<p>A change in regulatory focus not only affects the nature of the goods individuals may seek – for example, health-related products, insurance – but also how they will react to messages. Prevention-focused messages such as “do not take the risk of running out of… ” <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2004-10747-001">have been shown to be more effective for people with a dominant prevention regulatory focus</a>. </p>
<p>Rising anxiety and stress are also likely to affect buying behaviours. Stress typically reduces cognitive resources available to make a decision, and leaves individuals more susceptible to using heuristics – shortcuts – in decision making. The effect of stress vary from one individual to another, however, with some of us tending to consume more and so comfort ourselves as a way to cope.</p>
<p>The third dimension that can be used to explain irrational behaviour is an <strong>evolutionary</strong> one. Commonly used information-processing strategies can be traced back to our hunter-gatherer ancestors and the constraints they faced. Many of the types of decisions we make in such context thus take the form of fight or flight reactions. In emergency purchasing situation, <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13162-012-0030-9">our research suggested</a> that individuals are often more likely to rely on heuristics (mental shortcuts) when making instant decisions. <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1207/s15327957pspr0504_2">Research also suggests</a> that individuals are more susceptible to paying attention to and spread negative information/unhelpful rumours, as these can provide a survival advantage.</p>
<h2>When forced behaviours become new habits</h2>
<p>Despite the end of many lockdowns and a falling global mortality rate, the Covid-19 pandemic continues, and some of our new behaviours are becoming habits. For example, French health authorities have urged the country’s residents to <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/fight-coronavirus-france-urges-no-more-greetings-kisses-bans-large-n1145906">refrain from the traditional “bise”</a> – kisses on both cheeks when meeting a friend or family member.</p>
<p>But once a vaccine is developed, restrictions are lifted and life returns to something approaching “normal”, will such newly adopted behaviours remain? For a habit to carry on, it typically needs to “pass” two tests. First, it needs to provide some tangible benefits. Second, the cost of continuing the new habit need to be low. What we have seen with Covid-19 is that people have been forced – rather than freely choosing – to adopt new habits. This means that unless tangible benefits can be derived from those new habits – such as a better work-life balance with working from home – they’re unlikely to last. What is likely to stay is any habit that has been perceived as valuable while not requiring costly efforts to be maintained. </p>
<p>For example, some of us have discovered the advantages of working from home – for starters, no commute and the ability to work in pyjamas – and may want to stick to it after the pandemic recedes. For others, it’s about keeping up a pleasant round of video calls with friends who live far away. Changes in habits are thus likely to be much more individual than society-wide. Everyone will have discovered things they like and/or dislike, and what goes against our social nature is likely to disappear in the long run. Social distancing may be respected while necessary, but maintaining two meters between everyone in a queue won’t last any longer than absolutely necessary. </p>
<p>The same goes for “virtual everything”. Research overwhelmingly suggests that <a href="https://journals.aom.org/doi/10.5465/amj.2018.1474">“small talk”</a> and <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887323798104578455081218505870">serendipity</a> are an integral beneficial part of the working culture, and those are difficult to reproduce in a virtual context. A video call is a far-away friend is one thing, but for a friend is your neighbourhood, you’re far more likely to meet face to face, be it at home, in a restaurant or in a public space.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/143028/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ben Voyer ne travaille pas, ne conseille pas, ne possède pas de parts, ne reçoit pas de fonds d'une organisation qui pourrait tirer profit de cet article, et n'a déclaré aucune autre affiliation que son organisme de recherche.</span></em></p>Irrational behaviour during difficult circumstances is rooted in deeper cognitive and evolutionary psychological mechanisms. Many reflect what are called emergency decision and purchasing contexts.Ben Voyer, Full Professor, Department of Entrepreneurship, ESCP Business SchoolLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1438052020-08-03T02:30:44Z2020-08-03T02:30:44ZMore screen time, snacking and chores: a snapshot of how everyday life changed during the first coronavirus lockdown<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/350756/original/file-20200803-25-1ob2ifj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>With Victorians <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-08-03/victorian-coronavirus-curfew-lockdown-stage-4-more-restrictions/12516636">heading into a new round</a> of even harsher lockdown measures, there will again be a focus on how people will cope — the various ways such restrictions change lifestyles and how we adapt to them.</p>
<p>New data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics provides a snapshot of how Australians changed their behaviours, activities and consumption patterns as people were forced to stay home during the country’s first COVID-19 lockdown earlier this year.</p>
<p>To understand how the virus affected people’s everyday lives, the ABS ran <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Previousproducts/4940.0Main%20Features11-6%20Apr%202020?opendocument&tabname=Summary&prodno=4940.0&issue=1-6%20Apr%202020&num=&view=">a fortnightly survey with the same group of 1,000 people</a> from April 1 to July 10. Here are some of the key findings.</p>
<h2>Higher levels of anxiety</h2>
<p>Lockdown restrictions began to be implemented in Australia from mid-March. Not surprisingly, <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/allprimarymainfeatures/4DF23BAE08F75714CA25855B0003B1D9?opendocument">in the first ABS survey</a> in early April, respondents reported some immediate changes, such as a loss of contact with other people. </p>
<p>Just under half of people reported having no in-person contact with friends or family outside their household. Nearly all had used phone and video calls and text messages to keep in touch.</p>
<p>By <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/allprimarymainfeatures/86FF043DD0C1A1B8CA25856B0081D6F7?opendocument">mid-April</a>, financial hardship was also starting to set in for people. Nearly a third of respondents reported their household finances had worsened due to COVID-19.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/we-need-to-flatten-the-other-coronavirus-curve-our-looming-mental-health-crisis-137170">We need to flatten the 'other' coronavirus curve, our looming mental health crisis</a>
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<p>People’s mental health was also beginning to suffer by <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/allprimarymainfeatures/86FF043DD0C1A1B8CA25856B0081D6F7?opendocument">mid-April</a>. Compared with a pre-COVID health national survey of Australians, twice as many people reported feelings of anxiety at some point. One in nine Australians also felt hopeless at least some of the time.</p>
<p>More women and younger people reported these feelings compared with men and people aged 65 years and over.</p>
<h2>Working from home and changes in diets</h2>
<p>Survey results from <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/allprimarymainfeatures/50884FE62C2C85C0CA258576008061F0?opendocument">early May 2020</a> began to show how people were adjusting their lifestyles to the new routines. Restrictions had just started to ease slightly at this point.</p>
<p>Findings from this stage showed some gender differences. Women (56%) were more likely to be working from home compared with men (38%). Perhaps related to this, women were also more likely to be feeling lonely than men (28% compared with 16%). </p>
<p>The ABS found some notable changes in consumption habits. The <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/allprimarymainfeatures/50884FE62C2C85C0CA258576008061F0?opendocument">early May survey</a> showed fewer people were purchasing additional household supplies (21%) compared with March (47%), suggesting panic-buying had subsided. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/350761/original/file-20200803-15-gpf2y2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/350761/original/file-20200803-15-gpf2y2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=415&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/350761/original/file-20200803-15-gpf2y2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=415&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/350761/original/file-20200803-15-gpf2y2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=415&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/350761/original/file-20200803-15-gpf2y2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=521&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/350761/original/file-20200803-15-gpf2y2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=521&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/350761/original/file-20200803-15-gpf2y2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=521&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Empty supermarket shelves were a familiar site during early lockdown days.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">James Gourley/AAP</span></span>
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<p>People were spending their money on other purchases instead. From early April to early May, one in five people reported eating more snack food, while 13% of respondents were eating more fruit and vegetables. </p>
<p>Purchase of takeaway or delivered food declined over this period, with almost a third of respondents reporting less frequent consumption. </p>
<p>Perhaps contrary to popular belief, the overwhelming majority of people were not drinking more in isolation. Just 14% of people reported increasing their alcohol consumption.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-its-tempting-to-drink-your-worries-away-but-there-are-healthier-ways-to-manage-stress-and-keep-your-drinking-in-check-134669">Coronavirus: it's tempting to drink your worries away but there are healthier ways to manage stress and keep your drinking in check</a>
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<h2>More chores and reading</h2>
<p>During the <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/allprimarymainfeatures/50884FE62C2C85C0CA258576008061F0?opendocument">early May phase</a> of the lockdown, people were also seeking solace in home-based activities. </p>
<p>Though a majority of people (60%) were reporting more time on screens during lockdown, others were turning to hobbies and other activities.</p>
<p>Forty-one percent of respondents said they were spending more time on household chores and other work around the house and garden: for instance, 39% were doing more reading and crafts, and 38% were spending more time cooking or baking. </p>
<p>When it came to physical health and exercise, though, just one in four people had increased their level of physical activity during lockdown, while one in five had actually spent less time exercising.</p>
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<h2>Restrictions ease but some lifestyle changes remain</h2>
<p>As more restrictions began to ease around the country, people began to think about what they would do once lockdown ended. By <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/allprimarymainfeatures/1B89EEDF5DCE7388CA2585B1007BC982?opendocument">late June</a>, Australians’ mental health had improved compared with the height of the lockdown in April. </p>
<p>Fewer people reported feeling stressed, lonely, restless, nervous or that everything was an effort. </p>
<p>More than 90% were still keeping their distance from others, but fewer were avoiding social gatherings. </p>
<p>Interestingly, the easing of restrictions did not change other lifestyle routines that significantly: many people were still spending a lot of time on screens and with pets, cooking, baking and online shopping compared with before the lockdown period.</p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/350762/original/file-20200803-18-q41g19.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/350762/original/file-20200803-18-q41g19.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/350762/original/file-20200803-18-q41g19.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/350762/original/file-20200803-18-q41g19.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/350762/original/file-20200803-18-q41g19.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/350762/original/file-20200803-18-q41g19.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/350762/original/file-20200803-18-q41g19.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Life began to return to streets in cities like Sydney in early July, but people still reported avoiding large gatherings.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Dean Lewins/AAP</span></span>
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<h2>An optimistic outlook, except for Victorians</h2>
<p>When <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/allprimarymainfeatures/D90A6BA872BC19D7CA25854F008214D1?opendocument">the final ABS survey</a> was conducted in early July, things were looking brighter for most Australians. </p>
<p>Three in five respondents reported their mental health status as good or very good. Most people had an optimistic outlook on the future, with over half believing life had already returned to normal or would return to normal within six months. </p>
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<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-psychology-of-comfort-food-why-we-look-to-carbs-for-solace-135432">The psychology of comfort food - why we look to carbs for solace</a>
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<p>The big exception was people living in Victoria. In late June and early July, Melbourne had begun to experience a second wave of infections and a re-introduction of restrictions. </p>
<p>Not surprisingly, only 2% of Victorians said their life had already returned to normal or had not changed due to COVID-19.</p>
<h2>Where to from here?</h2>
<p>The ABS has finished this survey, but is starting <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Latestproducts/4940.0Main%20Features606-10%20July%202020?opendocument&tabname=Summary&prodno=4940.0&issue=6-10%20July%202020&num=&view=">a new monthly survey</a> in August, with a new group of respondents. This survey will also focus on Australians’ everyday lives and well-being during the pandemic.</p>
<p>There are also many <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1EzEKM2KMq5W_hFyjLhReqmaOBVypbkc_qRWrFKNHV0w/edit">university-based social research projects</a> currently underway. Once completed, their findings will provide a more detailed picture of how life has changed in Australia during COVID-19 — a situation that continues to evolve day by day.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/143805/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Deborah Lupton does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>New data from the ABS shows how people adjusted their consumption patterns and behaviours during the early COVID-19 restrictions — and how some lifestyle changes have remained since then.Deborah Lupton, SHARP Professor, Vitalities Lab, Centre for Social Research in Health and Social Policy Centre, UNSW SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1422882020-07-08T19:51:04Z2020-07-08T19:51:04ZDon’t panic (again): here’s why Melbourne’s supermarket shortages will quickly pass<p>You’re nervous, I get it. </p>
<p>Panic buying is back, not as strong as in March and more localised in Melbourne. Once again shop shelves have been emptied of pasta, toilet paper and other household items. </p>
<p>When will things get back to normal? Soon, more than likely in a matter of days, rather than weeks.</p>
<h2>What is different now</h2>
<p>Last time most of Australia was involved. Taken by surprise, supermarkets struggled with shoppers across the nation going into “hoard mode” simultaneously. </p>
<p>Normally supermarket supply chains run like well-oiled machines with highly predictable demand. Products move slowly and continuously from factories to distribution centres to stores. Supply chains are “skinny”, with stores ensuring they have just enough stock to meet that demand, particularly for low-margin products like toilet paper that take up a lot of shelf space. </p>
<p>A spike in demand can thus quickly empty shelves. It can prompt other shoppers to also start stockpiling, due to fear of missing out, making the problem worse.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/stocking-up-to-prepare-for-a-crisis-isnt-panic-buying-its-actually-a-pretty-rational-choice-132437">Stocking up to prepare for a crisis isn't 'panic buying'. It's actually a pretty rational choice</a>
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<p>Responding to this situation in March took weeks, as supermarkets adjusted their orders and manufacturers ramped up production to supply more products. The supermarket chains used every trick in the book to balance supply and demand – including imposing limits on the quantity of products shoppers could buy at any one time.</p>
<h2>What is happening</h2>
<p>This time suppliers are more prepared. Their lean supply chains have built some fat. Inventory has not been at a minimum. Limits on the amount customers can buy have been quickly reintroduced.</p>
<p>So why are shelves empty at all if this time businesses are more responsive? </p>
<p>Well, one thing has not changed: there’s still a lag in supply chains responding to any sudden change in demand.</p>
<p>With toilet paper, for example, orders are generally fulfilled in about ten days. Last time it took about three weeks for more paper to make to it shops. </p>
<p>But, given the information of a spike in demand in Victoria made its way from shops and distributors to manufacturers almost instantly, things should happen faster this time. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/disagreeability-neuroticism-and-stress-what-drives-panic-buying-during-the-covid-19-pandemic-141612">Disagreeability, neuroticism and stress: what drives panic buying during the COVID-19 pandemic</a>
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<p>Retailers have already moved to answer the call by rerouting deliveries to increase supply where it is needed the most. The only thing stopping supply returning to normal is the speed of transportation and restocking. </p>
<p>Also, the spike in demand is heavily localised in Melbourne. While there have been reports of panic buying and stockpiling in other states, it’s nowhere near the level of a few months ago. </p>
<p>So shortages in Victoria will not be as prolonged as last time. Redirecting inventories will be a lot simpler. </p>
<p>Think of it this way. Panic buying during March was like a big detour in the supply-chain highway given the whole country was involved. Now it is more like a car with a flat tyre reducing traffic speed locally. It’s not less dramatic for the people affected, but much simpler from a supply-chain perspective.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/a-toilet-paper-run-is-like-a-bank-run-the-economic-fixes-are-about-the-same-133065">A toilet paper run is like a bank run. The economic fixes are about the same</a>
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<h2>The new normal</h2>
<p>So don’t panic. There’s less reason to join in the panic buying (or stockpiling, if you think of it as a rational response to lockdown) this time. We’re likely to experience these disruptions so long as COVID-19 outbreaks continue. The “new normal” is like a faulty switch. Regions will be on and off the spot until the pandemic is over. </p>
<p>But as long as the entire nation does not move backwards all at the same time, supply chains from one state will quickly support the one experiencing difficulties. </p>
<p>There’s really no reason for you to add to the problem.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/142288/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Flavio Macau is affiliated with the Australasian Supply Chain Institute - ASCI</span></em></p>Melbourne’s return to stage 3 restrictions has precipitated another round of grocery stockpiling. But supermarket shelves won’t be empty as long as last time.Flavio Macau, Senior Lecturer in Supply Chain Management and Global Logistics, Edith Cowan UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1416122020-07-01T07:08:50Z2020-07-01T07:08:50ZDisagreeability, neuroticism and stress: what drives panic buying during the COVID-19 pandemic<p>Panic buying has returned to Australia in the wake of its second-biggest city experiencing a spike in COVID-19. The Victorian government has reimposed stay-at-home restrictions on 36 of Melbourne’s <a href="https://www.domain.com.au/news/melbournes-321-suburbs-ranked-for-liveability-20151106-gkq447/">321 suburbs</a> in response. </p>
<p>Once again supermarket stores are being emptied of toilet paper and other consumables.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/grattan-on-friday-scott-morrison-undeterred-on-covid-re-opening-despite-rise-in-toilet-paper-index-141456">Grattan on Friday: Scott Morrison undeterred on COVID re-opening despite rise in toilet paper index</a>
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<p>But this panic buying isn’t just in affected areas. It’s not even limited to Victoria. Empty supermarket shelves have been reported in <a href="https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/6808916/signs-of-panic-buying-at-canberra-shops-again/#gsc.tab=0">Canberra</a>, <a href="https://www.southernhighlandnews.com.au/story/6809134/toilet-paper-sales-surge-at-southern-highlands-supermarkets/?cs=262">Mittagong</a> in the New South Wales southern highlands, and <a href="https://www.westernadvocate.com.au/story/6810411/here-we-go-again-signs-of-new-panic-buying-in-bathurst/">Bathurst</a> in the NSW central tablelands.</p>
<p>As a preventative measure Coles and Woolworths have <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-06-26/woolworths-coles-re-introduces-toilet-paper-limit/12397374">reintroduced nationwide limits</a> on the amount of toilet paper shoppers can buy. Coles is also limiting packets of pasta, rice and long-life milk nationally, while Woolworths has so far done so only for Victoria. </p>
<p>Prime Minister Scott Morrison has called the panic buying “<a href="https://au.news.yahoo.com/stop-being-ridiculous-p-ms-powerful-words-to-panic-buyers-093253639.html">ridiculous</a>”, and previously dubbed it “<a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-03-18/coronavirus-panic-buying-pm-tells-people-to-stop-hoarding/12066082">unAustralian</a>”. </p>
<p>But are admonishments helpful in stopping panic buying? </p>
<p>That depends on what motivates people to panic buy. The COVID-19 pandemic has given us the chance to ask.</p>
<h2>What motivates panic buying?</h2>
<p>We’ve surveyed more than 600 Australians, first in April then again in June, about their stockpiling behaviour, attitudes and feelings.</p>
<p>Our results show about 17% of shoppers admitted to panic buying in April. About 6% were continuing to stockpile two months later, joined by an equal number who did not buy in April and feared missing out again.</p>
<p>Panic buyers and stockpilers were more likely to be younger and under financial and personal stress. A number of personality traits were also significant predictors. Those less agreeable, more anxious and less able to cope with uncertainty were more likely to panic buy.</p>
<p>These findings suggest panic buyers are likely to feel a lack of control in their lives and worry more about COVID-19. Stocking up on items gives them a sense of security in one part of their lives. They are likely to be less cooperative and considerate of others.</p>
<h2>Studying panic buying</h2>
<p>We recruited our 600 participants via consumer-survey company <a href="https://business.pureprofile.com/">Pure Profile</a>, which ensured our sample was representative of the Australian population. </p>
<p>We asked if they had “stockpiled”, and how much, in response to COVID-19, as well as questions about their income, education attainment, attitudes and personality. </p>
<p>Participants indicated their agreement with more than 100 statements such as:</p>
<ul>
<li>I am someone who is emotionally stable, not easily upset </li>
<li>I spend too much time following COVID-19 related news coverage </li>
<li>Obtaining food and basic household items has been a major source of stress. </li>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-are-people-stockpiling-toilet-paper-we-asked-four-experts-132975">Why are people stockpiling toilet paper? We asked four experts</a>
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<h2>Agreeableness</h2>
<p>The strongest predictor of “early” panic buying was low “agreeableness”.</p>
<p>Agreeableness describes how motivated people are to cooperate with and consider the feelings of others. It is typically expressed as polite and compassionate behaviour. We measured this trait by asking respondents to agree or disagree with statements such as “I am someone who is sometimes rude to people” and “I am someone who can be cold and uncaring”. </p>
<p>Measures of agreeableness predict a range of considerate and helpful behaviours such as <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-02952-1">treating others fairly and helping others in need</a>. </p>
<p>In our results, 23% of low scorers on agreeableness reported panic buying compared with 14% of high scorers. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-science-of-being-nice-how-politeness-is-different-from-compassion-81819">The science of being 'nice': how politeness is different from compassion</a>
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<h2>Neuroticism</h2>
<p>The second strongest predictor was high “neuroticism”. </p>
<p>Neuroticism describes a person’s experience of negative emotions such as <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5428182/">worry, anxiety and uncertainty</a>. Those with this trait tend to agree with statements such as “I often feel sad” or “I am temperamental and get emotional easily”. </p>
<p>High scorers experience negative emotions more intensely and more often. Our data shows that 22% of high scorers on neuroticism reported panic buying compared to 12% who scored low.</p>
<p>Our results also suggest these individuals are driven to stockpile to limit their need to go to the supermarket as much as fear of store supplies running out.</p>
<h2>Financial stress</h2>
<p>Stress also appears to be a significant factor. Panic buyers in our survey were significantly more likely to have been stood down or had their hours reduced due to COVID-19. </p>
<p>Those 32 and younger were about 40% more likely to have panic bought than those older. This is likely due to the economic impacts hitting younger workers hardest, as well as young families generally facing more financial and domestic strain. </p>
<p>Panic buyers also reported more time worrying about COVID-19, and more conflict in their household as a result of the pandemic.</p>
<h2>Fear of missing out</h2>
<p>The fear of missing out was the main predictor of respondents stockpiling in June. More than half these “late” stockpilers did not do so in April. They were far more likely to agree with the statement “Difficulties in obtaining basic household has been a major source of stress” than the April panic buyers.</p>
<p>So while panic buying is indeed more common in “selfish” people, it might also serve as a coping mechanism. People who experience higher levels of instability and uncertainty – due to personality disposition and/or their life circumstances have been disrupted – are most likely to panic buy and stockpile. </p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/a-toilet-paper-run-is-like-a-bank-run-the-economic-fixes-are-about-the-same-133065">A toilet paper run is like a bank run. The economic fixes are about the same</a>
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<p>Stockpiling gives such individuals some sense of control and reduces one source of potential stress in their lives – the possible difficulty to obtain essential food and household products.</p>
<p>With more outbreaks of panic buying predicted over the next 12 months as new COVID-19 hotspots emerge, we need more strategies than condemnation to address that behaviour.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/141612/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>What motivates people to panic buy and stockpile goods like toilet paper? The COVID-19 pandemic has given us the chance to find out.Peter O'Connor, Professor, Business and Management, Queensland University of TechnologyJeromy Anglim, Lecturer in Research Methods in Psychology, Deakin UniversityLuke Smillie, Associate Professor in Personality Psychology, The University of MelbourneLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1358222020-05-03T19:49:09Z2020-05-03T19:49:09ZWe’ve had a taste of disrupted food supplies – here are 5 ways we can avoid a repeat<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/326371/original/file-20200408-193236-1k4evd7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=21%2C0%2C1115%2C675&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The Bread Famine and the Pawnbroker, Brothers Lesueur (18th century)</span> </figcaption></figure><p>When our reliance on supermarkets is seriously disrupted – for example, by spikes in demand due to <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/news/it-s-un-australian-and-it-must-stop-scott-morrison-tells-australians-to-cease-panic-buying">panic buying</a> or the <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-01-12/putting-queenslands-food-supply-chain-back-together-after-floods/7080766">flooding of distribution centres</a> – we are left with few alternatives. Supermarkets are central to our everyday lives, but they have also become symbols of our vulnerability in times of disruption.</p>
<p>The COVID-19 crisis has caused us to rethink many things we took for granted. This includes the plentiful supply of a great variety of food at relatively stable prices in our supermarkets. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/grow-your-own-making-australian-cities-more-food-secure-8021">Grow your own: making Australian cities more food-secure</a>
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<p>Until recently, if we thought about <a href="http://www.fao.org/fileadmin/templates/faoitaly/documents/pdf/pdf_Food_Security_Cocept_Note.pdf">food security</a> at all, it was more likely to conjure images of malnutrition in countries of the <a href="http://www.fao.org/state-of-food-security-nutrition/en/">global south</a> rather than empty supermarket shelves. </p>
<p>However, <a href="https://aifs.gov.au/cfca/publications/food-insecurity-australia-what-it-who-experiences-it-and-how-can-child">food insecurity exists in Australia</a>. It can be experienced as hunger and also as feelings of anxiety about future food shortages.</p>
<h2>The rise of supermarkets and global supply chains</h2>
<p>Supermarkets were a 1930s success story that began during the Great Depression. The world’s first supermarket, <a href="https://australianfoodtimeline.com.au/worlds-first-supermarket/">King Kullen</a>, opened with the enduring principle of “Pile it high, sell it low!” King Kullen became the standard model of supermarket operations with globally interconnected supply chains. </p>
<p>While this model epitomised the trend of globalisation, during the second world war more local food production was encouraged in the form of “<a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-03-25/the-return-of-the-world-war-victory-garden/12085190">victory gardens</a>”. These made a significant contribution to food security during the war years. It was a demonstration of what can be achieved in times of crisis.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/140035/original/image-20161003-7750-1ntd4sn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/140035/original/image-20161003-7750-1ntd4sn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/140035/original/image-20161003-7750-1ntd4sn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/140035/original/image-20161003-7750-1ntd4sn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/140035/original/image-20161003-7750-1ntd4sn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=425&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/140035/original/image-20161003-7750-1ntd4sn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=425&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/140035/original/image-20161003-7750-1ntd4sn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=425&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">An Australian government ‘Grow your own’ campaign billboard from 1943.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">NAA C2829/2</span></span>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/is-it-time-to-resurrect-the-wartime-grow-your-own-campaign-66337">Is it time to resurrect the wartime 'Grow Your Own' campaign?</a>
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<h2>‘What if’ questions help us build resilience</h2>
<p>Contingency planning is about being clear on your Plan B or Plan C if Plan A hits trouble. It’s about asking the “what if” questions. As a planning tool, this enables systems to build resilience to disruption by identifying other pathways to achieve desired outcomes. </p>
<p>The difference between now and the 1930s is that today we are vastly more connected at a global scale. Within our food-supply chains, we can use the knowledge that comes from this greater connectivity to ask different “what if” questions.</p>
<p>For example, what if a pandemic and a severe weather event overlapped, disrupting critical transport infrastructure? How could we adapt? </p>
<p>Or what if several Australian states experienced serious disruptions to food supply at the same time? How could we ensure timely resupply? </p>
<p>Recent experiences of empty supermarket shelves remind us of the importance of such questions.</p>
<p>Greater self-sufficiency is sensible and practical. Australia’s <a href="https://knowledge.aidr.org.au/media/2153/nationalstrategyfordisasterresilience.pdf">National Strategy for Disaster Resilience</a> makes clear that we should understand the risks we live with – in this case, our deep-seated and often unquestioned dependency on long food-supply chains. </p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/to-protect-fresh-food-supplies-here-are-the-key-steps-to-secure-city-foodbowls-114085">To protect fresh food supplies, here are the key steps to secure city foodbowls</a>
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<p>The strategy also calls for authorities to <a href="https://knowledge.aidr.org.au/resources/ajem-october-2019-planning-for-food-contingencies-a-call-to-action/">help empower citizens to share responsibility</a> where they can in building their own resilience to hardship. This taps into a primal urge, as we have seen in the <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-03-24/coronavirus-panic-buying-of-edible-plants-at-nurseries/12082988">recent spike in demand for seedlings and vegetable plants at nurseries</a> as people take to home gardening, digging not so much for victory as for survival during a shutdown.</p>
<h2>Strategies to prepare for the next crisis</h2>
<p>These questions highlight the need to think about ways to complement and enhance existing arrangements for supplying food. <a href="https://www.griffith.edu.au/cities-research-institute/research/digital-earth-and-resilient-infrastructure/food-contingency">Our research</a> identifies several immediate opportunities to promote shorter food-supply chains and devise contingency food plans:</p>
<p><strong>1.</strong> We can buy more locally produced food staples, <a href="https://www.nccarf.edu.au/sites/default/files/attached_files_publications/Burton_2013_Urban_food_security.pdf">support local producers</a> at a farmers’ market, join a <a href="http://foodconnectfoundation.org.au/the-how">Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) group</a>, or take advantage of online platforms that make a <a href="https://localfoodconnect.org.au/local-food-directory/">range of locally grown food more readily available</a>.</p>
<p><strong>2.</strong> Local businesses can embed contingency arrangements to ensure access to locally produced food within their business continuity plans, building greater capacity to keep business and local economies operating in difficult times.</p>
<p><strong>3.</strong> Supermarkets can advocate for and support shorter food-supply chains by sourcing food products locally where possible and championing “buy local” campaigns.</p>
<p><strong>4.</strong> An active undertaking to identify and map the <a href="https://research.unimelb.edu.au/foodprint-melbourne/publications/melbournes-foodbowl">regional food bowls</a> of each city and township will support contingency plans.</p>
<p><strong>5.</strong> Local councils can help make it possible to grow much more of the food we need, even in relatively <a href="https://www.sciencealert.com/even-small-plots-of-urban-land-could-provide-fruit-and-veg-for-many-in-the-uk">dense towns and cities</a>. This can range from potted herbs on apartment balconies, through to broccoli in suburban backyards to intensive farming operations in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lufa_Farms">big industrial estate sheds or rooftops</a>. Municipal parks that feature little more than lawn can devote some space to community gardens, while more rigorous land-use planning regimes can protect market gardening near urban centres.</p>
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<p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/farming-the-suburbs-why-cant-we-grow-food-wherever-we-want-80330">Farming the suburbs – why can’t we grow food wherever we want?</a>
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<p>Societies have faced significant food and health crises over the centuries. Now, though, we have almost real-time data on food production, stocks and supply chains. Would it not be sensible to strengthen local food systems that can complement our supermarkets and global networks?</p>
<p>If we don’t do this, the only lesson we will have learned from the coronavirus crisis is to start hoarding baked beans, toilet paper and hand sanitiser as soon as we first hear of a looming disaster.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/135822/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kimberley Reis is an Academic Affiliate of the the Planning Institute of Australia and a 'care-holder' with the Food Connect Shed. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Cheryl Desha has previously received funding from the federal government and industry, but not directly related to this topic area. She is a member of Engineers Australia (MIEAust CPEng NER), the International Society of Digital Earth (Board Member), and the Surveying and Spatial Sciences Institute. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Paul Burton is a member of the Planning Institute of Australia and the Urban Development Insitute of Australia and has previously received funding from the National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility for research on urban food security and on emergency management in a changing climate.</span></em></p>After the brief shock of food insecurity in the form of empty supermarket shelves, we might start thinking about having a Plan B and C based on local food sources and shorter supply chains.Kimberley Reis, Lecturer, School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, Griffith UniversityCheryl Desha, Associate Professor, School of Engineering and Built Environment, and Director, Engagement (Industry), Griffith UniversityPaul Burton, Professor of Urban Management & Planning and Director, Cities Research Institute, Griffith UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1352972020-04-06T20:08:01Z2020-04-06T20:08:01ZMore Australians are worried about a recession and an increasingly selfish society than about coronavirus itself<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/325591/original/file-20200406-74206-40ytqs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Joel Carratt/AAP</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>More Australians are worried about the longer-lasting, societal effects of the COVID-19 pandemic – specifically that the health system could be overburdened and the country could enter a recession – than they are about the more immediate changes to their own lives, our new survey of 1,000 Australians reveals.</p>
<p>In a world where social distancing is becoming the norm and many Australians are working apart from one another, it would be reasonable to expect society to become more selfish. </p>
<p>Surprisingly, people were more worried about this exact thing – society becoming more selfish – than they were about losing their jobs, feeling lonely or catching the virus themselves. </p>
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<hr>
<p>The findings are part of a study developed in collaboration with researchers around the world, gauging people’s behaviours and concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic. </p>
<p>The Australian version of the survey, conducted from March 27-30 and including people of all age groups, sought to understand: </p>
<ul>
<li>what people are thinking, feeling and doing in relation to COVID-19, </li>
<li>drivers of key behaviours, </li>
<li>where people are getting their information from, </li>
<li>who they trust to fix the problem, </li>
<li>beliefs about the virus and </li>
<li>their own wellbeing.</li>
</ul>
<p>We hope to repeat the survey throughout the pandemic to keep track of Australians’ thoughts, feelings and behaviours, and to support evidence-informed policy responses that help encourage people to take actions to protect each other and themselves.</p>
<h2>Australians are generally following the rules</h2>
<p>Recent data suggests some of the strict self-isolation measures put in place by the government may be <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/05/health-officials-hopeful-australia-is-flattening-coronavirus-curve-but-warn-against-complacency">starting to slow the rate of infection</a>. </p>
<p>That said, it is still difficult to know what behaviours Australians are actually committing to, particularly since some are less publicly visible than others. </p>
<p>Our findings show that behaviours related to hygiene and social distancing had largely been adopted in the seven days prior to the survey. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/acting-selfishly-has-consequences-right-now-why-ethical-decision-making-is-imperative-in-the-coronavirus-crisis-134350">Acting selfishly has consequences right now – why ethical decision making is imperative in the coronavirus crisis</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>For example, 87% of people said they often or always washed their hands, while 86% reported often or always staying home and 86% often or always staying two metres away from others.</p>
<p>We also found a majority of respondents denying panic buying of any sort. When we asked if people had bought larger than normal amounts of various items, we found 65% said they never did so for medicine, 54% for disinfectants and just under half for everyday items.</p>
<p>Just 37% said they never bought larger than normal amounts of food, and on the flip side, only 14% said this was something they often or always did.</p>
<hr>
<p><iframe id="4oVlY" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/4oVlY/2/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<hr>
<p>To be sure, there is still some room for improvement. For instance, a significant number of Australians report not consistently performing protective measures like physical distancing. Worryingly, more than 30% of participants also reported they did not consistently cancel gatherings or meetings with vulnerable populations in the last seven days. </p>
<p>But overall, our findings run counter to the images we have seen in the media in recent weeks of Australians flouting social distancing rules and panic buying toilet paper and other supermarket items.</p>
<p>While these stories get attention because the images are so outrageous, our data suggests they are the exception rather than the rule. </p>
<p>Most people are doing what is recommended. They’re worried, they’re taking protective action and they’re listening to the government. This is what people need to hear: that people like them are doing the right thing, so they should, too.</p>
<h2>Younger people more worried than older people</h2>
<p>Our survey also looked at what people in different age groups were concerned about and how they were behaving.</p>
<p>Younger people have been the target of scorn in the media, with some suggestions they are not taking COVID-19 seriously and are not undertaking the same level of precautions as older Australians. </p>
<p>Data from our survey shows this may not be true. Those aged 18-29 are taking preventative measures, such as social distancing, staying at home and avoiding travellers from overseas, at the same rate as those in older age brackets. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/young-people-are-anxious-about-coronavirus-political-leaders-need-to-talk-with-them-not-at-them-135302">Young people are anxious about coronavirus. Political leaders need to talk with them, not at them</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Interestingly, younger people (aged 18-49) were more worried about some impacts of the virus than older people (over 50), such as becoming infected with coronavirus themselves, being lonely, the health system being overloaded and becoming unemployed.</p>
<p>However, we also found young people admitting to buying larger than normal amounts of medication and food than older people. Nearly a quarter of people aged 18-29 said they often or always did this, compared to less than 10% of those over 50.</p>
<p>Younger people were also less likely to respond to the recommendations of health authorities and political leaders. People under 50 were more likely to follow recommendations from social media than people over 50.</p>
<h2>Whose advice do Australians follow?</h2>
<p>We asked the sample about where they get their COVID-19 information. The most common sources were the media (73% indicated they often or always get information from this source) and health authorities (71%). </p>
<p>However, when we asked whose advice they followed, health authorities (80% of people responded “often” or “always”) were the clear leaders. Despite <a href="https://theconversation.com/australians-trust-in-politicians-and-democracy-hits-an-all-time-low-new-research-108161">trust in politicians generally being low</a>, 64% of respondents also indicate they often or always followed their advice.</p>
<hr>
<p><iframe id="6pKUm" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/6pKUm/1/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<hr>
<p>The least popular sources of information were coworkers (81% of respondents said they never, rarely or only sometimes got information from this source) and social media (70%). </p>
<p>Not surprisingly, advice from these sources was also rarely followed (80% never, rarely or sometimes for social media and 77% for coworkers).</p>
<p>Taken together, these findings emphasise the importance of well-communicated advice from health authorities and political leaders – people are listening and generally following the advice they are getting. </p>
<p>With further analysis of the data, we also hope to uncover what kinds of messages are more or less effective in encouraging Australians to take preventative health measures, including over the next months.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/are-you-complicit-in-deaths-if-you-dont-stay-home-how-to-do-good-during-the-virus-lockdown-134147">Are you complicit in deaths if you don't stay home? How to do good during the virus lockdown</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Who do Australians trust to fix the problem?</h2>
<p>Among other questions, we asked Australians who they had confidence in to minimise the harm caused by COVID-19 on a scale of 1-7, from “very low confidence” to “very high confidence”. </p>
<p>Our data showed health authorities to be the most-trusted to minimise harm, with 64% of respondents indicating scores of 5 (“a lot of confidence”) or higher. In fact, respondents expressed significantly greater confidence in health authorities to fix the problem than either state or Commonwealth leaders.</p>
<p>Interestingly the World Health Organisation ranked second with 59% of Australians indicating “a lot of confidence” or higher, suggesting people understand the global nature of COVID-19 and that flattening the curve in one country will not end the pandemic for everyone. </p>
<p>This is also why we have built an international collaboration to share the study materials and data, and are coordinating with other international efforts (<a href="https://mbmc-cmcm.ca/covid19/">the iCARE study</a> and <a href="https://covid19-survey.org/">the International Survey on Coronavirus</a>) to understand the crucial role of behaviour change in reducing the harm from COVID-19.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/135297/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alexander Saeri has received funding for behaviour science research from the Victorian and New South Wales State Governments, the Department of Agriculture, Water, and Environment, and QBE Insurance.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Peter Slattery works for BehaviourWorks Australia. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Emily Grundy, Liam Smith, and Michael Noetel do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A new survey shows younger Australians are more worried than older people about the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic, and most people are following the social distancing rules and staying home.Alexander Saeri, Research Fellow, BehaviourWorks Australia, Monash Sustainable Development Institute, Monash UniversityEmily Grundy, Research Assistant, Deakin UniversityLiam Smith, Director, BehaviourWorks, Monash Sustainable Development Institute, Monash UniversityMichael Noetel, Senior Lecturer in Psychology, Australian Catholic UniversityPeter Slattery, Research Fellow, BehaviourWorks Australia, Monash Sustainable Development Institute, Monash UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1353032020-04-03T03:29:32Z2020-04-03T03:29:32ZLook who’s talking: Australia’s telcos, banks and supermarkets granted exemption to cartel laws<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/325130/original/file-20200402-74895-eq8cfn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C4343%2C2966&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>“People of the same trade seldom meet together, even for merriment and diversion,” wrote Adam Smith in <a href="https://www.adamsmith.org/the-wealth-of-nations">The Wealth of Nations</a> (published in 1776), “but the conversation ends in a conspiracy against the public, or in some contrivance to raise prices.”</p>
<p>With the coronavirus crisis, though, Australia’s competition watchdog has decided a little more conversation is in the public interest.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/morrison-tells-big-business-to-show-patriotism-as-covid-19-threatens-to-hit-harder-than-gfc-133255">Morrison tells big business to show 'patriotism' as COVID-19 threatens to hit harder than GFC</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is lightening up on its normal competition rules by giving interim authorisation for competitors to cooperate.</p>
<p>On Wednesday the regulator <a href="https://www.accc.gov.au/media-release/nbn-co-telcos-to-coordinate-on-demand-surge-and-consumer-support-package">authorised the NBN Co</a> and the five biggest telcos (Telstra, Optus, Vodafone Hutchison, TPG and Vocus) to “work together to take measures necessary to keep Australia’s telecommunications networks operating effectively”.</p>
<p>On Tuesday it <a href="https://www.accc.gov.au/media-release/medicine-wholesalers-to-co-operate-on-access-to-pharmaceutical-products">authorised wholesalers of medicines</a> “to co-operate to facilitate distribution of essential medication and pharmacy products.</p>
<p>On Monday it <a href="https://www.accc.gov.au/media-release/banks-authorised-to-co-operate-on-loan-relief-and-services">authorised banks</a> "to co-operate to provide supplementary relief packages for individuals and businesses”.</p>
<p>And last week it <a href="https://www.accc.gov.au/system/files/public-registers/documents/Interim%20Authorisation%20Decision%20-%2023.03.20%20-%20PR%20-%20AA1000477%20Coles%20%26%20Ors.pdf">authorised the major supermarket</a> chains (Woolworths, Coles, Aldi and IGA/Metcash) to coordinate their activities to ensure the supply of retail products, particularly those in short supply.</p>
<h2>What is cartel conduct</h2>
<p>Normally a competition watchdog guards against any collaboration or collusion between competitors. There are hefty fines and even criminal penalties to deter competitors talking to each other. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.accc.gov.au/business/anti-competitive-behaviour/cartels">Cartel conduct</a> – agreements to fix prices, share markets, rid bids or control the amount of goods and services available to buyers – is arguably the biggest threat to a well-functioning competitive market. </p>
<p>Rather than competing on product quality, price and service, cartels maximise profits by agreeing to charge consumers more, pay suppliers less and putting the squeeze on other competitors. Competition officials have described cartels as “<a href="https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/SPEECH_00_295">cancers on the open market economy</a>”.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/cartels-caught-ripping-off-consumers-should-be-hit-with-bigger-fines-78750">Cartels caught ripping off consumers should be hit with bigger fines</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>But these are not normal times. The normal behaviour that allows markets to function has been thrown into flux. Panic buying of toilet paper, hand sanitiser, pasta and other staples has led to significant supply shortages. Video conferencing and streaming has led to a surge in broadband data use.</p>
<p>In these “unprecedented circumstances”, the watchdog has decided the benefits of permitting competitors to cooperate to secure the supply of essentials goods outweigh the risks. </p>
<h2>Different times, different conditions</h2>
<p>History shows cartel conduct is tempting to companies in hard economic times. In fact, it’s even tempting to regulators. </p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/325142/original/file-20200403-74889-r5xbsg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/325142/original/file-20200403-74889-r5xbsg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/325142/original/file-20200403-74889-r5xbsg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/325142/original/file-20200403-74889-r5xbsg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/325142/original/file-20200403-74889-r5xbsg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=633&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/325142/original/file-20200403-74889-r5xbsg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=633&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/325142/original/file-20200403-74889-r5xbsg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=633&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A 1933 US Postage stamp commemorating the National Recovery Administration established under National Industrial Recovery Act.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:New_Deal_N.R.A._3c_1933_issue_U.S._stamp.jpg">Wikimedia</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In 1933 the United States legalised cartel conduct with the National Industrial Recovery Act. The intention was to assist recovery from the Great Depression. Agreements to restrict output and fix prices were seen as a short-term solution to keep businesses afloat. It has since been argued the US law <a href="https://digitalcommons.law.yale.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1016&context=yjreg">actually slowed the recovery</a> by converting “otherwise competitive industries into highly regulated, cartelised, and often inefficient industries”.</p>
<p>The US government’s mistake is not one the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is making.</p>
<p>Its interim authorisations allow officials from the regulator and the federal government to monitor discussions. Every arrangement must be approved by the regulator. Everything is “out in the open”, eliminating a key feature for any cartel arrangement to succeed – secrecy. </p>
<p>Conditions now are also very different to those in 1930s America. </p>
<p>Then the issue was over-supply. Now it’s mostly a problem of undersupply, due to demand surges.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/theres-plenty-of-toilet-paper-so-why-are-people-hoarding-it-133300">There's plenty of toilet paper – so why are people hoarding it?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>This is not a situation in which supermarkets, pharmaceutical companies and broadband providers have anything to gain through restricting supply. </p>
<p>They might have an interest in increasing prices. But the competition watchdog has expressly forbidden talk about retail prices.</p>
<h2>A tight leash needed</h2>
<p>European regulators are taking a similar approach to Australia. The European Commission <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/competition/ecn/202003_joint-statement_ecn_corona-crisis.pdf">has declared</a> it will not actively intervene against “necessary and temporary measures” to avoid supply shortage:</p>
<blockquote>
<blockquote>
<p>“Considering the current circumstances, such measures are unlikely to be problematic, since they would either not amount to a restriction of competition […] or generate efficiencies that would most likely outweigh any such restriction.”</p>
</blockquote>
</blockquote>
<p>Even so, there are risks. There are anti-cartel laws for good reason. The longer competitors spend working together, as Adam Smith noted, the greater the risk of conspiracy.</p>
<p>The competition watchdog will need to keep talks on a tight leash. Apart from price, it needs to ensure companies do not share information about operations and processes that would allow them to act independently in a mutually beneficial manner. This would give us exactly what cartel laws are meant to stop – higher prices.</p>
<p>Australia’s competition watchdog is arguably better equipped for this task than its European counterparts. But with more industry requests for competitors to cooperate likely, it will need to stay vigilant, making full use of its powers to monitor talks and ensure cooperation only goes on for as much, and as long, as absolutely necessary.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/135303/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sven Gallasch does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is lightening up on its normal competition rules and allowing competitors to cooperate.Sven Gallasch, Lecturer in Law, Swinburne University of TechnologyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1330692020-03-31T19:16:20Z2020-03-31T19:16:20ZHow not to fall for coronavirus BS: avoid the 7 deadly sins of thought<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/324175/original/file-20200331-65547-1c7lbbh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>With the COVID-19 pandemic causing a great deal of anxiety, we might come to think people are irrational, selfish or downright crazy. We see people showing up to public venues en masse or clearing supermarket shelves of toilet paper. </p>
<p>Experts are often ignored. We hear inconsistent information and arguments filled with fallacious reasoning being accepted by a seemingly large number people. </p>
<p>The answer for the kind of panicked flurry in reasoning may lie in a field of critical thinking called vice epistemology. This theory argues our thinking habits and intellectual character traits cause poor reasoning. </p>
<p>These <a href="https://pure.mpg.de/rest/items/item_2316308/component/file_2316307/content">thinking habits are developed over a lifetime</a>.
When these habits are poorly developed, we can end up with <a href="https://academic.oup.com/monist/article-pdf/99/2/159/8031931/onv034.pdf">intellectual vices</a>. The more we think viciously (as a vice), the harder it is for us to effectively inquire and seek truth. </p>
<p>Vice epistemology <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/00048402.2017.1394334?casa_token=GJWjdiEJp0AAAAAA:ezVjujXTpkm_2vLYwxKjLjTfZYTCeCnBZhDchvY5GPFEKJ2BBAjef0fxaD0v-_47a_8oT_WVnNs">points to many</a> <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/meta.12301?casa_token=bzYrI9QTR0sAAAAA:rLseZETKYGtx4iQeMW0AcjvjTFLrMTK6j3lUjlhm88iwSR1Wzn-cb2dJGPUBFiqxHIZvOmQh_lVU">thinking vices</a> <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/40380439.pdf?casa_token=QdlTUNN4u8cAAAAA:pMNuEKTKQnTqMnrc1SONdAwJKwnHCIqv-C7Ibv7QtCe3J-_RvVskzMCeUDbb71cdmJQc6OoazVIlTDWnzMlXQ-6ix03sgHOlirpLROoH8RbKeIjX3A">and sins</a> that cause problems for inquiry. I have chosen seven that <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Quassim_Cassam/publication/301788560_Stealthy_Vices/links/5728617608aef9c00b8bd90b.pdf">show up regularly</a> in the literature:</p>
<h2>1. Sin of gullibility</h2>
<blockquote>
<p>I heard coronavirus particles can stay in the air for up to five days!</p>
</blockquote>
<p><a href="https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc2004973">Researchers found</a> SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes the disease COVID-19, remains infectious in airborne droplets for at least three hours.</p>
<p>But all sorts of claims are being touted by people and we’re all guilty of having believed someone who isn’t an expert or simply doesn’t know what they’re talking about. Gullibility as a thinking sin means that we lack the ability to determine the credibility of information. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-how-long-does-it-take-to-get-sick-how-infectious-is-it-will-you-always-have-a-fever-covid-19-basics-explained-132963">Coronavirus: how long does it take to get sick? How infectious is it? Will you always have a fever? COVID-19 basics explained</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Relevant expertise and experience are essential qualities when we’re listening to someone’s own argument. But with something like COVID-19, it’s also important we look at the type of expertise someone has. A GP might be able to tell us how we get the infection – but they wouldn’t count as an expert in infectious disease epidemiology (the way an infectious disease spreads across a population).</p>
<h2>2. Sin of cynicism</h2>
<blockquote>
<p>I’d better stock up on toilet paper before everyone else buys it.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>In many ways, cynicism is the opposite of gullibility. It is being overly suspicious of others in their arguments and actions. </p>
<p>If you’ve suddenly become suspicious of your neighbours and what they might do when supermarket stocks are limited, that’s a cynical way to think.</p>
<p>If we think the worst interpretation of arguments and events is correct, we can’t inquire and problem-solve effectively.</p>
<h2>3. Sin of pride</h2>
<blockquote>
<p>I know what’s best for my family!</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Pride is an intellectual sin (though it’s more popular as a spiritual one). In this particular case, it is the habit of not admitting to ourselves or to others that we don’t know the answer. Or perhaps that we don’t understand the issue. </p>
<p>We obstruct a genuine search for truth if we are dogmatic in our self-belief. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/324176/original/file-20200331-65522-1mo7wzt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/324176/original/file-20200331-65522-1mo7wzt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/324176/original/file-20200331-65522-1mo7wzt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=431&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/324176/original/file-20200331-65522-1mo7wzt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=431&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/324176/original/file-20200331-65522-1mo7wzt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=431&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/324176/original/file-20200331-65522-1mo7wzt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=542&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/324176/original/file-20200331-65522-1mo7wzt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=542&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/324176/original/file-20200331-65522-1mo7wzt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=542&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Do you think you know better than everyone else?</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/pedantic-man-having-coffee-291649280">Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>It’s effective reasoning to take what the evidence and experts say and then apply it specifically to our individual needs. But we have gone astray in our thinking if we contradict those who know more than us and are unwilling to admit our own limitations.</p>
<h2>4. Sin of closed-mindedness</h2>
<blockquote>
<p>I won’t accept that.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Closed-mindedness means we’re not willing to see things from different perspectives or accept new information. It’s a serious intellectual vice as it directly interferes with our ability to adjust our beliefs according to new information. </p>
<p>Worse still, being close-minded to new ideas and information means it’s even more challenging to learn and grow – we’d be closed minded to the idea that we’re closed minded.</p>
<h2>5. Sin of prejudice</h2>
<blockquote>
<p>I’ve stopped buying Chinese food - just in case.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Prejudiced thinking is an intellectual vice we often start developing early in life. Children can be incredibly prejudiced in small ways – such as being unwilling to try new foods because they already somehow know they’re gross. </p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-fears-can-trigger-anti-chinese-prejudice-heres-how-schools-can-help-130945">Coronavirus fears can trigger anti-Chinese prejudice. Here's how schools can help</a>
</strong>
</em>
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<p>As a character flaw, it means we often substitute preconceived notions for actual thinking. </p>
<h2>6. Sin of negligence</h2>
<blockquote>
<p>SARS was more deadly than COVID-19 and that wasn’t that big a deal</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Creating a poor analogy like this one is not a substitute for thoughtful research and considered analysis. </p>
<p>Still, it is difficult to explore every single topic with thorough evaluation. There’s so much information out there at the moment it can be a real chore to investigate every claim we hear. </p>
<p>But if we’re not willing to check the facts, we’re being negligent in our thinking. </p>
<h2>7. Sin of wishful thinking</h2>
<blockquote>
<p>This will all be over in a week or two and it’ll be business as usual.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Our capacity to believe in ourselves, our hard work, our friends and culture can often blind us to hard truths. </p>
<p>It’s perfectly fine to aim for a certain outcome but we need to recognise it doesn’t matter how much we hope for it – our desire doesn’t affect the likelihood of it happening. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/thinking-about-thinking-helps-kids-learn-how-can-we-teach-critical-thinking-129795">Thinking about thinking helps kids learn. How can we teach critical thinking?</a>
</strong>
</em>
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<p>A pandemic like COVID-19 shows our way of life is fragile and can change at any moment. Wishful thinking ignores the stark realities and can set us up for disappointment.</p>
<h2>So, what can we do about it?</h2>
<p>There are some questions we can ask ourselves to help improve our intellectual character traits:</p>
<p><strong>What would change my mind?</strong></p>
<p>It’s a red flag for sin of pride if nothing will change your mind.</p>
<p><strong>What is the strongest argument the other side has?</strong></p>
<p>We often hold each piece of the truth in our own perspective. It’s worth keeping in mind that unless there’s wanton cruelty involved, chances are differing arguments will have some good points. </p>
<p><strong>What groups would gain or lose the most if we keep thinking this way?</strong></p>
<p>Sometimes we fail to consider the practical outcomes of our thoughts for people who aren’t like us. We’ve seen in the last few weeks that the people who have a lot to lose (such as casual workers) matter when it comes to the way we respond to the pandemic. </p>
<p>It’s worth taking a moment to consider their perspectives.</p>
<p><strong>How much do you actually know about an issue? Who is an expert?</strong></p>
<p>The experts always have something to say. If they agree on it, it’s a good indication we should believe them. If there isn’t general consensus, we should be dubious of one-sided claims to truth. </p>
<p>And remember the person’s actual expertise – it’s too easy to mistake a political leader or famous person with an expert.</p>
<p>In challenging days like these, we may be able to help ensure a better outcome for everyone if we start by asking ourselves a few simple questions.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/133069/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Luke Zaphir does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Gullibility, cynicism, pride, closed mindedness, negligence and wishful thinking. If you can use any of these to describe your reasoning, it’s likely you’re committing a sin of thought.Luke Zaphir, Researcher for the University of Queensland Critical Thinking Project, The University of QueenslandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1341072020-03-31T10:37:21Z2020-03-31T10:37:21ZThe game theory of panic-buying – and how to reduce it<p>During difficult times, we hope that everyone will pull together, keep calm, and work as a unit to ensure that society continues to run smoothly. Unfortunately, this is not always the case – as is particularly evident right now. </p>
<p>Toilet paper has reached <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/mar/16/ebay-urged-to-clamp-down-on-coronavirus-profiteering">incredible prices</a> on eBay. Videos of <a href="https://news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-brawl-over-toilet-paper-in-sydney-supermarket-11951619">supermarket brawls</a> populate the internet. One man in Tennessee bought <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/coronavirus-hand-sanitiser-sell-amazon-ebay-profit-price-gouge-donate-a9404031.html">17,000 bottles</a> of hand sanitiser, hoping to sell them for a fat profit. In the UK, where I’m currently under lockdown, we are increasingly seeing bare shelves in store and huge online queues to order groceries by delivery.</p>
<p>But we are also seeing acts of kindness and benevolence – hospital doctors working long shifts to help treat ill patients, and social media campaigns to allow elderly, vulnerable individuals to have a dedicated hour to shop in supermarkets before they open. How can we explain these two approaches to crisis situations? </p>
<p>The decision of whether to buy supplies in a socially responsible manner, or to hoard them, is related to <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167268118302518">game theory</a>. This approach is based around the understanding that our pay-off in some situations is based not only on what we do, but what on others do too. For example, getting the food we want from a supermarket is dependent on us and all (or most) other shoppers acting sensibly. If we decide to be socially responsible, that is of little effect if others decide to panic buy.</p>
<p>Social psychology research suggests that there are <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0146167293194007">two main motives</a> for “selfish” behaviour – greed and fear. When greedy, individuals are simply unconcerned with others and take what they want to benefit themselves. Fear is more complicated. In this case, individuals may wish to act in a socially-responsible fashion, but are concerned that others will not. If they shop sparingly and others hoard, they will be left with the worst outcome – the so-called “sucker’s payoff”. The belief that others are acting selfishly can often <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jasp.12618">exacerbate</a> those tendencies in others.</p>
<h2>How to stop hoarding</h2>
<p>So how can self-interest be reduced? Research suggests several ways in which socially-responsible behaviour – and the reduction of hoarding – might be encouraged. </p>
<p>One method may be to emphasise the feelings of kinship between shoppers. Perceiving others as similar to ourselves usually <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1043463106066381">increases cooperation</a>. Another is to play down the idea that everyone is panic-buying. Fewer newspaper articles highlighting bare shelves should lower concerns about getting the “<a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1368430207084845">sucker’s payoff</a>”. And although acts of hoarding can lead to more hoarding, the opposite is also true. Acts of generosity can increase others socially minded tendencies and <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2008-18683-018">promote cooperation</a>.</p>
<p>The extended nature of the situation should also be emphasised. When people believe they are in for the long haul, and may encounter the same people in the same situation again, they tend to be <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1368430211402102">more socially responsible</a>. </p>
<p>People tend to be more cooperative in small groups, especially with strangers. So, allowing small numbers of people into a place at once may help to <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0167268116000378">reduce selfishness</a>. Luckily, this is happening already thanks to social distancing rules. Promoting discussion and conversation often <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0022002709352443">improves relationships</a> amongst people in game theory-type situations. Although this may not be a very practical solution, perhaps the Blitz spirit of singing songs together could help with this – supermarket karaoke anyone?</p>
<p>Finally – and perhaps more drastically – we could introduce punishment for acting selfishly. Social sanctions – such as naming and shaming or ostracising those who hoard – can often be <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15534510.2012.729493">effective</a>, but relies on the person caring about being shamed. Direct punishment – such as fines – can work, but only if it is strong enough to be a deterrent to others. Too weak a punishment can actually increase selfishness if individuals realise the cost/benefit analysis will work in <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.2307/2667052">their favour</a>. It remains to be seen whether the regulations recently put in place in the UK banning groups of more than two people gathering in a public place will be strict enough to work as intended. </p>
<p>Unfortunately, it is the case that some people <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2Fa0030939">just don’t trust others</a> or actually prefer to make sure that others <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/per.2139">get less than them</a>. Little can be one about these ingrained personality traits. But, they are in the minority and over the coming weeks (or months) we will hopefully see that the human spirit is far stronger than a dangerous virus, even in the face of toilet paper shortages.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/134107/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Chris Stiff does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Psychological research suggests several ways in which socially-responsible behaviour might be encouraged.Chris Stiff, Lecturer in Psychology, Keele UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1345042020-03-29T11:42:38Z2020-03-29T11:42:38ZMaking and breaking bread during the coronavirus pandemic: Home cooking could make a comeback<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/323085/original/file-20200325-168880-hb78uf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C317%2C10571%2C6724&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Self-isolating may mean many Canadians will be forced to spend more time in the kitchen, a place that's been foreign to most millennials, according to a new survey.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>These are unprecedented times. As we deal with the current coronavirus pandemic, we find our regular routines and habits altered and disrupted. Not-so-graceful displays of <a href="https://www.macleans.ca/society/coronavirus-in-canada-what-people-are-panic-buying-and-leaving-behind/">panic buying</a> have been seen almost everywhere. People have been impulsively emptying shelves, irrationally.</p>
<p>Quarantines, cancellations, closures and social distancing are keeping people at home to slow the spread of the disease. One positive thing coming out of this unfortunate situation could be that people will spend more time in their kitchens, <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/5155947/how-to-cook-at-home-more/">a place where fewer Canadians have ventured in recent years</a>.</p>
<p>The evidence suggesting that <a href="https://www.npdgroup.ca/wps/portal/npd/ca/news/latest-reports/millennial-parents-are-ushering-in-a-new-era-in-foodservice/">Canadians are spending less time in the kitchen is mounting</a>. According to Statistics Canada, <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/11-627-m/11-627-m2019003-eng.htm">54 per cent of Canadians eat out once a week or more</a>; 40 per cent say they eat out for convenience, have no time to cook or do not like or know how to cook.</p>
<h2>Cooking is a fantasy for many</h2>
<p>The average Canadian can now watch over 250 hours of cooking or food related shows a week on television. A few networks are solely devoted to food. Still, cooking is just a fantasy for a growing number of Canadians.</p>
<p>Time has been unkind to kitchens. <a href="https://cdn.dal.ca/content/dam/dalhousie/pdf/sites/agri-food/Dalhousie%20End-Of-Year%20Survey%202019%20EN.pdf">In a survey we conducted at the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University</a>, 95 per cent of people born before 1946 indicated they ate meals prepared by parents or a caregiver at home when growing up. That percentage dropped significantly over the generations.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/323088/original/file-20200325-168885-h7mow7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/323088/original/file-20200325-168885-h7mow7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=371&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/323088/original/file-20200325-168885-h7mow7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=371&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/323088/original/file-20200325-168885-h7mow7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=371&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/323088/original/file-20200325-168885-h7mow7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=466&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/323088/original/file-20200325-168885-h7mow7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=466&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/323088/original/file-20200325-168885-h7mow7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=466&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The empty shelves of a shut-down food shop in North Vancouver, B.C. Panic buying has been one of the unfortunate side effects of the coronavirus pandemic.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Millennials were not exposed to home-cooked meals as much, and neither was generation Z. About 64 per cent of millennials regularly ate home-cooked meals when growing up, compared to 55 per cent for gen Z. This suggests younger generations have a different appreciation for the kitchen and how food is prepared and consumed at home. The COVID-19 pandemic could potentially make younger generations more familiar with a space which seems foreign to them.</p>
<p>More time at home could be a benefit for all of us. In that same survey conducted by Dalhousie University, 68.4 per cent said they would like to spend more time preparing food at home. With the current public safety measures, many will be getting their wish.</p>
<h2>Let’s get cookbooks off the coffee table</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.newyorker.com/culture/annals-of-gastronomy/the-best-cookbooks-of-the-century-so-far">Reading a cookbook is like watching a good movie</a>. We can project ourselves into the story, imagine we can do things we never thought possible, making us dream. Some cookbooks these days are works of art. But many cookbooks are used as coffee table books. COVID-19 could change that.</p>
<p>As we are forced to spend more time at home, and with provisions safely nestled in cupboards and freezers, the opportunity to revisit our kitchens daily has never been so good. Equipped with unread cookbooks and underused kitchen tools, Canadians now have time to take action in the kitchen. Cooking could also be an activity that brings family members and roommates together; cooking and eating together can be a wonderful bonding experience.</p>
<p>We will get through this by listening to our competent public health officials and staying home. In the meantime, let’s dust off our cookbooks and get reacquainted with the one room that can truly be considered the heart of anyone’s home: the kitchen.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/134504/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sylvain Charlebois does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>One positive thing coming out of pandemic-related self-isolation could be that people will spend more time in their kitchens, a place where fewer Canadians have ventured in recent years.Sylvain Charlebois, Director, Agri-Food Analytics Lab, Professor in Food Distribution and Policy, Dalhousie UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1344912020-03-26T15:44:09Z2020-03-26T15:44:09ZCoronavirus: what philosopher Immanuel Kant can teach us about panic buying and isolation dodging<p>The coronavirus crisis has forced us to look at our behaviour in a way that we’re not used to. We are being asked to act in the collective good rather than our individual preservation and interest. Even for those of us with the best of intentions, this is not so easy.</p>
<p>This is a problem for governments. Practically, they need us to obey their recommendations and to only buy what we need. They can enforce these behaviours upon us through policing, but some, such as the UK government, have preferred to appeal to our sense of duty and morality to act in the interest of society as a whole. They say “we have to ask you” rather than “you must”. They are invoking a communal spirit to do what’s right. The key point being that we should follow guidelines out of a sense of duty rather than needing to be commanded. Judging from the fact that I am having to ration my coffee supply, this is having mixed success.</p>
<p>Friederich Nietzsche argues that appeals to morality are no less a system of power and discipline than the police. In his book <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/files/52319/52319-h/52319-h.htm">The Genealogy of Morals</a>, he argues that moral thinking arises first, not from a desire to be a good and happy human being, but from the upper classes as a way of distinguishing themselves from the lower classes – justifying why they had benefits those less fortunate did not.</p>
<p>He points out that, in most languages, the words for good and evil arise from the words for “clean” and “unclean”. The evidence of the moral nobility of the upper classes was their cleanliness and the decadence of the lower classes was proven by their dirtiness. This still seems to be true today, as we are told it is a moral duty to be clean and that those who do not obey the bodily discipline of handwashing, facial awareness and social distancing are not simply dangerous but selfish.</p>
<h2>Acting rationally</h2>
<p>The sort of morality appealed to here was, in the history of philosophy, first introduced by the 18th century philosopher <a href="https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/kant-moral/">Immanuel Kant</a>. Kant is not interested in whether what we do has good consequences or comes out of a sound character, but only that we act rationally for the sake of rationality – that we be reasonable.</p>
<p>Starting in his book <a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/5682">Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals</a>, he tries to encourage us to be rational by arguing that we should all follow a moral instruction that he calls “the categorical imperative”, telling us that we should not do things that do not make sense if everyone did them. To act in a way that forces others to be irrational is, in itself, irrational. It is an affront to the dignity of the human being.</p>
<p>A relevant example is panic buying. To buy more than I need at the supermarket fails to pass the test because it is not possible for everyone to buy more than they need, it is only possible for a small fraction of the population to do so. However, if we all only buy what we need, then everyone can buy what they need.</p>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/323310/original/file-20200326-133040-1bnnp0o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/323310/original/file-20200326-133040-1bnnp0o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=783&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/323310/original/file-20200326-133040-1bnnp0o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=783&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/323310/original/file-20200326-133040-1bnnp0o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=783&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/323310/original/file-20200326-133040-1bnnp0o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=984&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/323310/original/file-20200326-133040-1bnnp0o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=984&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/323310/original/file-20200326-133040-1bnnp0o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=984&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">What would Kant make of your recent toilet paper purchases?</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kant_gemaelde_3.jpg">Wikipedia</a></span>
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<p>The problem here, as Kant himself points out <a href="https://www.marxists.org/reference/subject/ethics/kant/religion/religion-within-reason.htm">in a later book</a>, is that we have an innate tendency to make exceptions for ourselves when it comes to a matter of self-preservation. I know that buying more than I need is the reason why I’ve been struggling to buy bread. Yet, when I finally see bread in stock for the first time in a week, I’m very likely to buy more than I need because I am worried when I will next see it, and I am very disinclined to put my own and my family’s needs beneath that of the community. </p>
<p>The root cause of this reluctance to put society before myself is that Kant – and some governments – are calling on a population that has committed to individualism to act in the collective interest.</p>
<p>In the case of the UK prime minister, Boris Johnson, the hesitation in enacting strict orders rather than vague direction does not come down to complacency, but rather to a woefully naïve faith in personal freedom – and a deep mistrust of state power. In short, it is down to his commitment to the ideals of the free market, autonomy and a small state. This is most clear as soon as we realise that panic buying is a result of the virtues of entrepreneurship: cleverness, resilience, agility and self-preservation.</p>
<p>Only a truly collectivist society would ever be able to self-isolate on a mass scale. Those that praise the individual and encourage us to make exceptions for ourselves will struggle, even in the face of a crisis like the coronavirus pandemic. It is, therefore, no surprise that so many governments are now having to resort to fully enforced lockdowns, with policing. Where Kant tried to invoke the power of God to encourage us to act morally, something contradicting his secular philosophy, modern leaders are now being forced to invoke the power of the state – and not for the last time before this crisis is over.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/134491/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Matthew Barnard does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>It’s hard to get societies based on individualism to act in the collective good. That’s why you can’t find any toilet paper.Matthew Barnard, Lecturer, Manchester Metropolitan UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1343412020-03-24T17:02:47Z2020-03-24T17:02:47ZCoronavirus: what makes some people act selfishly while others are more responsible?<p>Many were horrified to see huge numbers of people <a href="https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/public-avoid-tourists-hotspots-skegness-snowdon-a4394126.html">ignoring government advice</a> in the UK recently, enjoying a weekend in the sunshine swarming markets, city parks, national parks and beaches.</p>
<p>The advance of COVID-19 has triggered a broad-scale mission of “<a href="https://sk.sagepub.com/reference/the-sage-dictionary-of-policing/n111.xml">responsibilisation</a>”. This means that political leaders, health experts and even celebrities, neighbours and loved ones have called upon us all to act responsibly in order to slow the spread of the virus, and to minimise the damaging effects of the pandemic. And while many people did follow advice and stay at home, those who did not were enough to cause alarm, and now prime minister Boris Johnson has put Britain in lockdown.</p>
<p>The reckless and selfish behaviour witnessed around the world from <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/coronavirus-florida-beaches-ignore-social-distancing/?ftag=CNM-00-10aab7e&linkId=84575151">Florida</a> to <a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3076277/selfish-reckless-people-squander-hong-kongs-hard-fought">Hong Kong</a> has drawn much ire. Why do some people dodge their responsibility in these difficult times? And should we rely on individuals making responsible choices to begin with?</p>
<p>I am a researcher of <a href="https://www.acrwebsite.org/volumes/1700005/la/v4_pdf/LA-04">consumer responsibilisation</a>, which means I study how consumers come to accept – or reject – personal responsibility for the consequences of their actions. For example, my work looks at how culturally prevalent views on, and emotional reactions to, social problems affect consumer responsibilisation – as well as how consumers can be motivated to accept responsibility. This work has inspired me to consider current developments in COVID-19 from this particular vantage point.</p>
<p>In Denmark, where I live, the queen delivered a <a href="http://kongehuset.dk/en/news/her-majesty-the-queens-address-on-the-coronavirus-situation">heartfelt appeal to the nation</a>, stressing that breaking the chain of infection requires that “we all behave sensibly”, and lamenting those who continue to behave irresponsibly. It was the first such crisis address since the end of the second world war. Like many others, Queen Margarethe is troubled by the reckless and inconsiderate actions of some.</p>
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<h2>Irresponsible behaviour</h2>
<p>Partying, <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-51737030">stock-piling</a> essentials, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/mar/15/panic-buying-sweeps-stores-despite-appeal-for-responsible-shopping">panic buying</a> and <a href="https://news.sky.com/story/cornavirus-britains-rural-towns-warn-dont-come-here-to-escape-covid-19-11961697">“escaping” to rural areas</a> have all been criticised in news outlets and social media. These examples reveal some of the challenges the government has faced in making the public take responsibility. As consumers we have been told that there is no need to panic. The flow of life and the goods required to sustain it will continue pretty much undisturbed.</p>
<p>As responsible citizens, we have been told that our lives must change radically. To continue our old ways is to endanger ourselves and those who are vulnerable. In the wise and somewhat paradoxical words of the singer and self-styled “responsibiliser” <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/billie-eilish-coronavirus-tour-postponed-968225/">Billie Eilish</a>: “Don’t panic, but also don’t be stupid”.</p>
<p>The young people partying for spring break on the streets and beaches of Miami excelled in the “don’t panic” part, but unfortunately failed to appreciate the social distancing side of things. The young and healthy have not appeared to be fazed by the dangers of COVID-19, which is <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/20/can-a-face-mask-protect-coronavirus-covid-19-myths-elderly">commonly believed</a> to threaten only the old and the frail.</p>
<p>To make matters worse, the likelihood that we are not so much stopping the virus, but merely slowing down its spread has acted as a disincentive, aggravated by the absence of compelling communication – until now – about the critical value of slowing the virus.</p>
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<p>Although commonly thought of in terms of <a href="https://www.msi.org/uploads/files/JCR_Oct_14.pdf">public “awareness” and dissemination of expert knowledge</a>, responsibilisation is as much a matter of emotion, as it is a matter of reason. Emotions such as hope, shame and pride play a decisive role. Do we feel responsible? Do we feel that our actions can make a real difference? Are we ashamed when we fail to act responsibly? It is one thing to be indifferent to statistics and expert warnings, and another to experience shaming for contributing to the suffering and death of others, as hospitals run out of beds and respirators? Personal responsibility is often based on the ability to relate emotionally to other human beings – their hopes and fears, their pain and suffering.</p>
<h2>Collective and individual responsibility</h2>
<p>Besides issues of empathy, when it comes to COVID-19 responsibilisation goes against the grain to a certain extent. In contrast to recent crises caused by terrorist attacks, weather events and political division, this time we are asked to stand together by standing apart. Instead being called to occupy the streets in protest, and frequent shops and pubs to support the local economy, we have been asked to stay in and to keep our distance. Acknowledging this difference might help us move forward.</p>
<p>Yet this sense of responsibility has not materialised in some people. In our haste to find better ways to make the public embrace its responsibilities – especially the reckless and the inconsiderate – the focus on personal responsibility and individual choice should never prevent society from taking <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8107263/Australians-face-fines-50-000-jail-time-breaching-coronavirus-isolation.html">necessary collective action</a>. The UK government has now taken that action.</p>
<p>As New York Times commentator Charlie Warzel observed <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/11/opinion/coronavirus-expert-advice.html">recently</a>, one reason COVID-19 advice has been framed as a matter of personal choice and responsibility was to avoid the costs and duties of political and collective intervention. Political-economic <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/226578045_Sustainable_consumption_as_a_new_phase_in_a_governmentalization_of_consumption">research</a> has taught us that responsibilisation entails a shifting of burden from the state and corporations to individual citizens and consumers – a shift that does not always serve the public interest.</p>
<p>Governments, corporations and other institutions must accept their share of responsibility too, even when this requires taking unpopular and costly measures. Clearly Prime Minister Boris Johnson has decided that decisive collective rules and interventions will be a faster and more reliable solution than the soft “<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/mar/13/why-is-the-government-relying-on-nudge-theory-to-tackle-coronavirus">nudging</a>” of individuals to make the right choice.</p>
<p>Yet, as with other countries that have taken this action, further dilemmas arise as to how to ensure compliance with the new measures. More than ever, the delicate balance between collective and individual responsibility should be at the forefront of public and academic debate.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/134341/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Domen Bajde does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>As the prime minister’s move to lockdown has shown, people could not be trusted to act responsibly for the greater good.Domen Bajde, Professor of Consumption, Culture and Commerce, Department of Marketing & Management, University of Southern DenmarkLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.