Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2022

DOI

10.1111/joca.12464

Publication Title

The Journal of Consumer Affairs

Volume

56

Issue

4

Pages

1454-1474

Abstract

This research examines consumers' compliance with behaviors that focus on preventing the spread of COVID‐19. Drawing on Protection Motivation Theory and research on efficacy, we find that, during a pandemic, consumers who have higher perceptions of response efficacy are less likely to engage in risky consumption behaviors (Study 1) and more likely to engage in protective consumption behaviors (Study 2). This effect is moderated by risk aversion, such that as risk aversion increases, COVID‐compliant behaviors increase even when consumers do not believe in their ability to effectuate change. Further, the relationship between response efficacy and COVID‐compliant behaviors is mediated by anticipated guilt. Importantly, these constructs are relevant beyond the COVID‐19 pandemic. As situations like drought, rising sea levels, and infectious diseases persist, consumers will continually be asked to sacrifice for their own wellbeing and the wellbeing of others. Thus, we discuss implications for policymakers.

Rights

© 2022 The Authors

This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.

ORCID

0000-0001-8832-703X (Thomas)

Original Publication Citation

Thomas, V. L., Mirahmad, H., & Kemper, G. (2022). The role of response efficacy and risk aversion in promoting compliance during crisis. Journal of Consumer Affairs, 56(4), 1454-1474. https://doi.org/10.1111/joca.12464

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