Did morality help consumers protect others while shopping during pandemic?

Abstract

We explored the relationships between the big 5 personality traits (i.e., openness, consciousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism), morality amid the pandemic, and intentions for shopping online and in‐store. Conducting an online survey with the U.S. national sample (n = 490) and analyzing the data through structural equation modeling, we found that consciousness, agreeableness, and neuroticism positively influenced morality; extraversion negatively influenced morality; conscientiousness positively influenced and openness and extraversion negatively influenced the intentions for online shopping; extraversion positively influenced and neuroticism negatively influenced in‐store shopping intentions. Morality and personality traits are important in shaping intentions for shopping online and in‐store amid the pandemic.