The Covid-19 Pandemic Outbreak and Consumer Behaviour: An Online Survey of People in South-South Nigeria
Read the full paper (PDF)Abstract
Nigeria had its first coronavirus disease (COVID-19) case on 27 February 2020 in an individual who returned from travelling overseas. Since then, cases of affected persons have steadily increased as the pandemic has spread to all states in the country. Containment measures by the Nigeria government to curb the spread of the virus ensured social distance and restricted the movement of persons and trade. However, it also disrupted the normal consumption habits of people. This study examined the effect of COVID-19 on the consumption behaviour of people in South-South region of Nigeria starting from the spread of the virus and the subsequent imposed lock-downs in most states of the country. The study utilised an online survey instrument and the sample period spans from 13 March 2020 to 30 June 2020. The data were analysed using Descriptive statistics and one-way ANOVA technique. The study reveals that Nigerians are aware of the outbreak of COVID-19 in the country and are mostly concerned about its effect on their health, personal finance and economy. Moreover, the pandemic has changed the daily spending habits of the people as e-payment rather than cash is preferred for making payments while physical transactions are preferred to e-commerce. In addition, the study shows that consumer spending for food, medicine, gasoline and sanitizers has increased beyond previous levels since the outbreakand there are significant differences in the rise in spending amongst age groups for food and medicine.The results are particularly relevant for government agencies saddled with designing fiscal and monetary policies to revamp the post COVID-19 economy. Based on the findings, the study recommends that the health sector be accorded the 15% minimum budget allocation stipulated by the World Health Organisation in order to meet the increasing demands for health services by Nigerians.