Anxiety and Stocking up in the Coronavirus Pandemic: An Examination in the Frame of Social Value Orientation and Socioeconomic Level

Abstract

The aim of the study was to test the moderating role of socioeconomic status in the relationship between anxiety and stocking up on basic food and hygiene products during the coronavirus pandemic and to examine stocking up behavior in terms of the social value orientations. A total of 529 participants, 349 women and 189 men, took part in the study. Participants were asked to answer the Demographic Information Form and the Triple Dominance Measure of Social Value and the questions measuring the level of anxiety and stocking up behavior prepared by the researchers using an online questionnaire. In order to analyze the data, independent samples t test and moderated regression analysis as suggested by Aiken and West (1991 were used. It was found that socioeconomic level moderated the relationship between the anxiety levels of individuals and their stocking behaviors. According to the findings of the study stocking up behaviors also increase as the anxiety levels of individuals with high socioeconomic status increase; whereas there was no significant relationship between the anxiety level of individuals with low socioeconomic status and their stocking up behaviors. In addition, when stocking up behavior is examined in terms of social value orientations, it was found that pro-social individuals with cooperation motivation in their interpersonal relationships show less stocking behavior than pro-self individuals with competitive or individualistic motivation. It is thought that the findings of this study, which examines the responses of individuals to this global crisis in the frame of their psychosocial variables, will contribute to both the theoretical and the applied areas related to social policies.

Keywords

• Coronavirus Anxiety
• Stocking Up
• Social Value Orientation
• Socioeconomic Status
• Prosocial Motivations

Koronavirüs Pandemisinde Kaygı ve Stokçuluk: Sosyal Değer Yönelimi ve Sosyoekonomik Düzey Bakımından Bir İnceleme

Öz

Bu çalışmada Koronavirüs pandemisi sürecinde yaşanan kaygı düzeyi ile temel gıda ve hijyen ürünlerini stoklama davranışı arasındaki ilişkide sosyoekonomik durumun düzenleyici rolünün test edilmesi ile stokçuluk davranışının sosyal değer yönelimi açısından incelenmesi amaçlanmıştır. Çalışmada 349 kadın ve 189 erkek olmak üzere toplam 529 katılımcı yer almaktadır. Katılımcılardan Demografik Bilgi Formu ile Üç Baskın Toplumsal Değer Yönelimi Ölçeğini ve araştırmacılar tarafından hazırlanan kaygı ve stoklama düzeyini ölçen soruları çevrimiçi anket yöntemi ile yanıtlamaları istenmiştir. Verilerin analizinde bağımsız gruplar için t test ile Aiken ve West'in (1991) düzenleyici değişken analizi için önerdiği şekilde regresyon analizi kullanılmıştır. Araştırmanın sonuçlarına göre, bireylerin kaygı düzeyleri ile stokçuluk davranışları arasındaki ilişkide sosyoekonomik düzeyin düzenleyici etkisi olduğu görülmüştür. Yüksek sosyoekonomik düzeydeki bireylerin kaygı düzeyleri arttıkça stokçuluk davranışlarında da artış görüldüğü; ancak düşük sosyoekonomik düzeydeki bireylerin kaygı düzeyi ile stoklama davranışları arasında anlamlı bir ilişkinin olmadığı sonucuna ulaşılmıştır. Ayrıca, stokçuluk davranışı sosyal değer yönelimi açısından incelendiğinde, kişiler arası ilişkilerinde iş birliği motivasyonuna sahip toplum yanlısı bireylerin, yarışmacı ya da bireyci motivasyona sahip kendine yanlı bireylerden daha az stoklama davranışı gösterdikleri bulunmuştur. Bireylerin yaşanan bu küresel kriz durumuna verdikleri tepkileri psikososyal değişkenler bakımından inceleyen bu çalışmanın bulgularının hem teorik alana hem de sosyal politikalarla ilgili uygulama alanına katkı sağlayacağı düşünülmektedir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Koronavirüs Kaygısı
• Stoklama
• Sosyal Değer Yönelimi
• Sosyoekonomik Durum
• Toplum Yanlısı Motivasyonlar

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