Why do consumers hoard toilet paper during a crisis that has nothing to do with it?

Science · Published 20 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Panic buying is a form of herd behavior that transforms perceived scarcity into a self-fulfilling prophecy. Driven by anxiety and a desire to regain control, consumers often deplete shelves of unrelated goods during disasters. This phenomenon is amplified by social media, which spreads fear and triggers a snowball effect.

Panic buying occurs when individuals purchase excessive amounts of products due to anticipated shortages or disasters. It is a psychological mechanism rooted in the need to manage uncertainty and relieve anxiety. By securing essential goods, consumers attempt to regain a sense of agency during crises. This behavior is often irrational; for instance, in October 2024, American consumers cleared shelves of paper products during a port strike that did not involve those specific goods. Similarly, in 2023, Malaysian residents panic-bought water during a supply interruption that lasted less than a day.

The phenomenon is a classic example of a self-fulfilling prophecy. Whether the initial risk is real or imagined, the act of hoarding creates actual shortages, which then justifies the panic of others. This collective action is heavily influenced by social networks and digital platforms. During the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, social media played a critical role in stimulating mass anxiety. Viral images of empty shelves and videos of physical altercations over items like toilet paper acted as emotional triggers, spreading fear globally and fueling further hoarding in countries as diverse as Singapore, Australia, and Canada.

Economic and political factors also drive these sprees. Governments and retailers have attempted to manage the fallout through various interventions, such as rationing, price controls, and even military occupation of stores, as seen in Venezuela in 2013. However, these measures can sometimes backfire or be perceived as improper, such as when a Taiwanese hypermarket was fined for misleading marketing that triggered a run on toilet paper in 2018. Ultimately, panic buying remains a persistent, complex social phenomenon that transcends geography, appearing in contexts ranging from the 1918 influenza pandemic to the 2025 Iberian power outages.

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