Household mobility in food purchasing during COVID-19 lockdown: Evidence from Torino, Italy

Beatrice Braut; Matteo Migheli; Elisa Truant

doi:10.1016/j.cities.2021.103554

Household mobility in food purchasing during COVID-19 lockdown: Evidence from Torino, Italy

Cities. 2022 Mar:122:103554. doi: 10.1016/j.cities.2021.103554. Epub 2022 Jan 4.

Authors

Beatrice Braut¹, Matteo Migheli^{1

2}, Elisa Truant³

Affiliations

¹ University of Torino, Department of Economics and Statistics "Cognetti de Martiis", lungo Dora Siena, 100, I-10153 Torino (TO), Italy.
² Collegio "Carlo Alberto", CeRP and OETT, piazza Arbarello, 8, I-10122 Torino (TO), Italy.
³ University of Torino, Department of Management, corso Unione Sovietica, 218bis, I-10134 Torino (TO), Italy.

Abstract

During the first wave of COVID-19, lockdown restrictions limited people's movements mainly to food purchasing. Using survey data collected in Torino, Italy, from university students, this study analyses the lockdown's impact on the transportation means used for purchasing food compared to the pre-lockdown period. Food store businesses were not limited by the restrictions and people had to purchase food; however, national and local rules limited citizens' movements, potentially leading to a different choices of transportation means than before the pandemic. The results show that both the lockdown and, perhaps, the fear of contagion, moved the preferences of people from public and shared means to foot and private vehicles. These findings can help in rethinking how transportation is organised in an urban environment, such as that in Torino. Ensuring the safety of public and shared transportation may help sustain mobility during health emergencies.

Keywords: COVID-19; Food purchases; Lockdown; Transportation means.