| dc.description.abstract | Natural disasters often have a significant impact on people, resulting in severe negative consequences. Within natural disasters, the possibility of individuals psychological distress is not to be ignored. People′s psychological states can be influenced by external stimuli, leading to various behaviors. In early 2020, Taiwan was hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, witnessing a surge in local cases that quickly spread nationwide. On May 19, 2020, The government declared a Level 3 alert. The supply of prevention supplies faced significant challenges due to environmental factors. Consequently, panic buying became widespread phenomena. However, existing literature on impulsive shopping rather than panic buying, related research is limited. Therefore, adopts the SOR model（Stimulus-Organism-Response） as a foundation, using the pandemic as a case study of a disaster. The aim of research is to knowing whether environmental changes triggered by the pandemic, such as perceived scarcity, perceived control, and perceived risk, would influence consumers′ psychological states, such as anxiety and self-efficacy. At last, to determine whether these psychological states would lead to an intention to engage in panic buying.
This study utilized an online survey to collect data, resulting in a total of 401 valid responses. The research findings indicate that ＂perceived scarcity＂ has a positive and significant impact on ＂anxiety,＂ while ＂perceived control＂ has a negative and significant impact on ＂anxiety.＂ Additionally, ＂perceived risk＂ negatively affects ＂self-efficacy.＂ ＂Anxiety＂ positively and significantly influences ＂intention to engage in panic buying,＂ whereas ＂self-efficacy＂ has a negative effect on it. Moreover, the ＂external locus of control＂ exhibits a positive moderating effect on the positive impact of ＂perceived scarcity＂ on ＂anxiety＂. These results reveal that environmental changes do indeed influence consumers′ psychological states, which significantly impact their inclination to engage in panic buying. This study sheds light on the effects of environmental crises on consumers′ psychological states and explores their consumption behavior. The results and discussions provided can serve as valuable references for government entities, suppliers, retailers, or future research. | en_US |