Publication Date

Spring 5-4-2022

Document Type

Other

First Advisor

Wilcox, Virginia

Degree Name

B.S. (Bachelor of Science)

Department

Department of Economics

Abstract

The focus of this paper is to examine the impact of COVID-19 on grocery sales in the United States. My hypothesis is that periods with higher COVID-19 severity, measured through the number of COVID-19 deaths, will show higher grocery sales, all things equal, due to the increased demand during the unusual circumstances of the pandemic. Using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S Department of Agriculture, and the Bureau of Economic Analysis, I perform a regression analysis to test my hypothesis. The results confirm my hypothesis by showing that there is a positive and significant effect of severity on sales. However, the effect is inelastic and relatively small. My results are consistent with related literature. These results are important for understanding the changes that can occur during times of uncertainty in an otherwise stable industry.

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