Psychological Reactance to Mobility Restrictions Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Japanese Population Study

In Japan, mobility restrictions were enforced by the government to abate the spread of COVID-19. The current study examined whether experiences of such mobility restrictions affected motivation for future going-out activities. To this end, we conducted a one-time online survey of 1,000 adults in Tokyo to measure going-out activities in four different time periods at once: before the spread of infection, during and after the emergency declaration, and after the end of the pandemic (future desire). In addition, to examine the impact of preferences for online services that make it easier to stay home, we measured the usage history of online services to obtain food during the mobility restriction period. Results indicated that desire for going-out activities after the end of the pandemic increased compared with those before the pandemic, particularly for leisure-related purposes. In addition, the use of online services to obtain food tended to suppress the increased desire for future going-out activities, although this effect was not significant. In conclusion, mobility restrictions resulted in motivational arousal for going-out activities after the end of the pandemic. Our findings indicate that psychological reactance plays a role in determining going-out activities in the future.