The impact of the COVID-19 threat on the preference for high versus low quality/price options

The present research investigates how the threat of COVID-19 affects consumers’ choices among hospitality/travel options of varying levels of quality and price. Drawing on compensatory consumption theory, we predicted that the virus’s prominence would increase consumers’ preference for more expensive options in a choice set. Five empirical studies and one secondary data analysis investigated consumers’ choice among various business and budget...