In France, the United States, and even Australia, the same scene is repeated in supermarkets: customers are robbing the toilet paper shelves, panicked by the new coronavirus. The tension is such that customers come to blows for the latest packages, occasionally creating videos that have gone viral on social networks. Why such a frenzy for this daily article?
For some experts, the explanation lies in game theory: if everyone buys only what they need, there is no shortage. But if some succumb to panic buying, the best strategy is to do the same to make sure you don't miss it.
Scrap scenes for toilet paper in Australia
However, this theory does not explain everything: toilet paper does not protect against Covid-19 disease, and mass purchases do not concern other products such as cans.
"A need to be safe"
"I think it probably came from the amazing images on social media that were very clear: the packages are very recognizable and it has become a symbol of security in people's heads," said Steven Taylor, author of "Pathology pandemics ”.
"People feel the need to put themselves and their families in safety, because they cannot do anything other than wash their hands and isolate themselves," added this professor of psychology at the University of British Columbia. .
It also evokes another theory of evolution, the aversion to things that disgust us, exacerbated by the threat of infection. "People are flocking to toilet paper because it's a way to avoid disgusting things," says Steven Taylor.
"A sense of control with limited budgets"
Economists also suggest the theory of “Zero risk bias”, according to which we favor the sometimes total elimination of a small risk rather than the reduction of a greater risk, which would however give better results.
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"We want to have a sense of control with limited budgets," says Farasat Bokhari, a specialist in health economics at the British University of East Anglia. "We buy something cheap, which we can store, keeping in mind that we are going to use it anyway," he says.
According to the academic, it should rather store non-perishable products, more expensive but essential such as frozen dishes, canned goods or sachets of soup, even if they are not the favorite dishes of the family. But, apart from the invoice, it is the fear of not using them if the situation improves which keeps buyers away.
The effect of social media
Unlike the influenza A (H1N1) pandemic in 2009, the new coronavirus is also spreading on social networks, which for Steven Taylor has positive and negative aspects.
"This has allowed the dramatic dissemination of dramatic images and videos around the world, which has heightened the sense of threat and urgency," he said.
On the other hand, "social networks can be a very good source of support, especially in the event of voluntary quarantine".
So are we going towards a breakdown of social cohesion in the event of a long pandemic? History shows that no, says Steven Taylor.
“Riots and violent behavior have been relatively rare in previous pandemics. It happened, there was violence, but the general response was that of order, solidarity, mutual aid to do our best as a community to manage the situation, "says l 'university.