Is a forbidden fruit as sweet tomorrow as it feels now? Consumer intention-behavior gap at the times of major crises

The paper develops a theoretical framework using the systems approach to explain the intention-behavior gap (IBG) at crisis times. It analyzes in-crisis and post-crisis consumer mental frames by integrating concepts from marketing science, behavioral economics, and social psychology. It interprets the role and effect of temporal discounting and compensatory consumption on the subjective expected utility of goods and services shaping post-crisis consumption intentions. The primary in-crisis study across four countries and post-crisis publicly available data support main research outcomes. The paper cohesively explains post-crisis actual consumer behaviors, leading to an understanding of IBG and their consequences applicable to major crises.