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

• Published date: 01 March 2022
• Author: Ahmet Ekici,Forrest Watson
• Date: 01 March 2022
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/joca.12393

SPECIAL ISSUE

A model of consumer life-satisfaction amidst

the COVID-19 pandemic: Evidence and policy

implications

Ahmet Ekici

1

| Forrest Watson

2

1

Faculty of Business Administration,

Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey

2

Department of Business Administration,

Middle East Technical University,

Ankara, Turkey

Correspondence

Ahmet Ekici, Faculty of Business

Administration, Bilkent University,

06800, Ankara, Turkey.

Email: ekici@bilkent.edu.tr

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically impacted

the lives of consumers across the globe. What guid-

ance 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 reli-

gion to deal with the challenges of the pandemic

leads to positivity and hope, which in turn positively

affect life-satisfaction. Importantly, “escape”behav-

iors (such as excessive work or time spent in online

shows/games) reduce positivity and hope in con-

sumers, thus negatively impacting life-satisfaction.

The paper discusses the conceptual and public policy

implications of the results and offers recommenda-

tions for future research.

KEYWORDS

COVID-19 Pandemic, escape behavior, life satisfaction

Received: 15 November 2020 Revised: 17 April 2021 Accepted: 14 June 2021

DOI: 10.1111/joca.12393

© 2021 American Council on Consumer Interests.

158 J Consum Aff. 2022;56:158–179.wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/joca

1|INTRODUCTION

Consumer researchers have investigated a variety of consumer well-being related concepts such

as subjective well-being, life-satisfaction, and quality-of-life because understanding the pro-

cesses that explain these concepts have important ramifications for the development of con-

sumer policy (Baker et al., 2013; Iyer & Muncy, 2016; MacDonald & Douthitt, 1992). The

Journal of Consumer Affairs devoted special issues to the topic (e.g., Anti-consumption and con-

sumer well-being, Spring 2016) in an attempt to advance our knowledge on consumer well-

being, guide policymakers, and thus improve the well-being of consumers across the globe.

Researchers have also investigated the impacts of personal and societal crisis on the well-

being of consumers. Certain personal (e.g., diagnoses of a terminal illness) and societal

(e.g., financial crisis, natural disasters) life-threatening and stressful events are reported to sig-

nificantly threaten the well-being of consumers (De Mello et al., 2007). Nevertheless, when con-

sumers employ adaptive strategies, they are less likely to be negatively affected by these crises.

For example, research so far has shown that certain adaptive coping strategies (e.g., trying to

look on the bright side) may help people to “integrate the stressful experience with existing cog-

nitive schemas about the self and the world, which were linked to better psychological adjust-

ment”(Ye et al., 2020, p. 4) and rebuild the meaning of life. Similarly, people living in highly

insecure environments may still retain their self-worth and faith in the possibility of a better

day by harnessing hope, which can eventually contribute to the maintaining of their well-being

(Campbell et al., 2020).

The extant literature on psychology and consumer research also points out that when people

engage in maladaptive behavior to cope with a stressful experience (e.g., when engaging in com-

pulsive behavior such as excessive drinking or working to deal with the stress) they are more

likely to experience dissatisfaction with life (Dörfel et al., 2008). Taken together, the existing lit-

erature offers ample evidence that employing adaptive attitudes and behaviors boost life-

satisfaction and employing maladaptive behavior impedes life-satisfaction. However, whether

and how both types of coping behavior simultaneously influence adaptive coping strategies and

affect life-satisfaction remains an important yet under investigated question.

Maintaining life-satisfaction can be challenging in the presence of stressful life events

(Gonza & Burger, 2017). However, positive psychological resources consumers possess

(i.e., adaptive coping strategies such as positive outlook and hope) may have the potential to

facilitate and promote well-being for individuals. Certain types of coping behavior can facilitate

and activate these adaptive strategies, which in turn help consumers maintain satisfaction with

their lives, even when they go through difficult times (Deniz, 2006).

The COVID-19 pandemic presents one such difficult time for consumers. The pandemic has

introduced novel challenges for consumers as they try to cope and maintain their life-satisfac-

tion. Policymakers have introduced a variety of strict measures to control the spread of the pan-

demic, which put consumers in previously unexperienced situations.

As argued by many scholars, certain distinct characteristics of the COVID-19 crisis distin-

guish it from other personal/societal crises and life-threatening experiences consumers might

have previously endured. For example, as noted by Chodkiewicz et al. (2020), COVID-19 is not

just an economic crisis or a dramatic one-off event, but rather a complex and multi-faceted phe-

nomenon that affects billions of people in the domains of healthcare, politics, economy, reli-

gion, culture, and the civilization in general. As a result, it covers almost all areas in the lives of

individuals and societies (Campbell et al., 2020). Unlike most other crises, the COVID-19 out-

break has resulted in widespread (at times nationwide) lockdowns and other restrictions that

EKICI AND WATSON 159