Coronavirus: Why people are panic buying toilet paper, according to a pandemic expert
The IndependentThe latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Stockpiling of general items can be partly explained by people’s need to feel like they are prepared, according to Dr Taylor, who is a professor and clinical psychologist at the University of British Columbia. “When you’re presented with a pandemic, a big new, scary thing, and the government is telling us that we don’t need to do anything special to deal with it — just wash your hands and so on — people feel the need to do something to prepare. When people do that, it's inevitable that some people are going to over shop.” The potency of toilet paper as a symbol of preparedness and safety is given an added by social media — there is a snowballing effect. “For a start, toilet paper – it’s big and bulky and distinctive, so people notice it more.