Predicting mobility using limited data during early stages of a pandemic

Michael T Lash; S Sajeesh; Ozgur M Araz

doi:10.1016/j.jbusres.2022.113413

Predicting mobility using limited data during early stages of a pandemic

J Bus Res. 2023 Mar:157:113413. doi: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2022.113413. Epub 2023 Jan 6.

Authors

Michael T Lash¹, S Sajeesh², Ozgur M Araz²

Affiliations

¹ School of Business, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045, United States.
² College of Business, University of Nebraska - Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588, United States.

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed consumer behavior substantially. In this study, we explore the drivers of consumer mobility in several metropolitan areas in the United States under the perceived risks of COVID-19. We capture multiple dimensions of perceived risk using local and national cases and death counts of COVID-19, along with real-time Google Trends data for personal protective equipment (PPE). While Google Trends data are popular inputs in many studies, the risk of multicollinearity escalates with the addition of more relevant terms. Therefore, multicollinearity-alleviating methods are needed to appropriately leverage information provided by Google Trends data. We develop and utilize a novel optimization scheme to induce linear models containing strictly significant covariates and minimal multicollinearity. We find that there are a variety of unique factors that drive mobility in different geographic locations, as well as several factors that are common to all locations.

Keywords: COVID-19; Hill-climbing algorithm; Mobility; Multicollinearity; Retail activity; Risk perception.