ABSTRACT
Panic buying is a consumer behavior noted during environmental disasters and crises. Although it has been reported since the antique, episodes during COVID-19 attract global attention. Measurement of purchasing and stockpiling behavior is needed for the stakeholders to formulate prevention strategies. Panic buying behavior involves the interplay of biological, neurological, psychological, personality traits, negative emotional states, social interaction, and distrust. Due to its multifactorial interaction, transdisciplinary nature, close association with the disasters, and being short, sudden, and episodic pattern, measurement is challenging. The panic buying scale was developed during the COVID-19 pandemic from a Brazilian sample that has been validated and utilized in some other countries. The instrument needs to be tested with different populations across different countries to provide verification of reliability and validity. The development of new scales measuring various aspects of panic buying is required to tap the phenomenon more aptly. This chapter highlights the measurement aspects of panic buying on both individual and social levels. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)