Growing couch potatoes? The impact of COVID‑19 in the light of personal values in Hungary
Abstract
The spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has unprecedentedly afected consumer behav iour. This paper refects on changes in food consumption, buying, and training (work ing out) habits using a representative sample of 1000 Hungarian consumers and identi fes consumer segments with unique needs based on personal sources of motivation.
The widely known Schwartz Portrait Value Questionnaire was used to characterize
individual value profles. Employing k-medians clustering, three clusters were identifed.
“Business-as-usual People” managed to maintain their daily routines. The frequency of
buying local food decreased the least among them. The sedentary lifestyle of the next
cluster, “Inactive savers”, appears to have been accompanied by a lower level of food
intake. Accordingly, this group was possibly less subject to the negative impacts of
obesity, but more in need of psychological support to avoid devastating mental health
outcomes. The third cluster initially appeared to encompass “Couch Potatoes” based on
their COVID-induced lifestyles. However, the analysis of the value portraits of the latter
showed that they were not couch potatoes at all, but rather active and proactive “Stay at-home Businesspeople” who may beneft from guidance regarding how to manage
the increase in housekeeping and childcare, and how to become more physically
active in the home environment. The results are valuable from both a scientifc and
practical perspectives.
