The Impact of Anxiety Caused by COVID-19 on Consumer Behaviour

The main purpose of this study is to examine the effect of anxiety that people experience due to the rapidly spreading Covid-19 on consumer behaviour. The sub-objectives of this study are to test the relationship among the anxiety caused by Covid-19, consumer behaviour and socio-demographic variables. In line with this purpose, qualitative research was conducted on 251 academicians working in Gaziantep University. Demographic information form, Death Anxiety Scale developed by Thorson and Powell (1992) and Consumer Behaviour Scale developed by Ang (2001) were conducted on the participants for data collection. The questionnaire was carried out online. The data obtained from the study were analyzed with statistical techniques such as factor analysis, correlation and regression analysis, independent sample T-test, and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). The findings of the study showed that the deprivation and suffering dimensions of the anxiety caused by Covid-19 have significant effects on the dimensions of consumer behaviour. It has also been found that there are significant differences among the socio-demographic characteristics of the participants, the anxiety caused by Covid-19 and consumer behaviour.