A model of consumer life‐satisfaction amidst the COVID‐19 pandemic: Evidence and policy implications

Ekici, Ahmet; Watson, Forrest

The COVID‐19 pandemic has dramatically impacted the lives of consumers across the globe. What guidance can consumer researchers and policymakers provide consumers to elicit adaptive responses that contribute to their life‐satisfaction under these adverse conditions? To this end, we develop and test an adaptive response model and demonstrate its impact on the life‐satisfaction of the consumers experiencing the pandemic in Turkey. Our model suggests that amidst COVID‐19, seeking emotional help triggers the positivity in people, which in turn increases life‐satisfaction. Moreover, turning to religion to deal with the challenges of the pandemic leads to positivity and hope, which in turn positively affect life‐satisfaction. Importantly, “escape” behaviors (such as excessive work or time spent in online shows/games) reduce positivity and hope in consumers, thus negatively impacting life‐satisfaction. The paper discusses the conceptual and public policy implications of the results and offers recommendations for future research.