Situational Influences on Condom Purchasing

Despite the well-documented role of condoms in safe sex, people frequently fail to use them. Embarrassment and other negative emotions that occur while acquiring condoms may make it less likely that people will consistently purchase condoms, subsequently decreasing condom use. It is important to examine how situational factors affect emotions related to condom purchasing behaviors. Two experiments examined the influence of different condom purchasing situations on emotions felt and willingness to purchase condoms. Participants imagined one of three condom purchasing scenarios: anonymously at a self-checkout counter, non-anonymously at a regular checkout counter, or asking for condoms from a locked display. Results revealed that participants’ self-reported willingness to purchase condoms increased as levels of anonymity increased. Similarly, participants reported more positive emotions as anonymity increased. A negative correlation between negative emotion and willingness to purchase condoms also emerged. Overall, results suggest a need for businesses to help provide anonymity to customers, perhaps through incorporating self-checkouts into their stores to potentially decrease negative emotion felt and increase condom sales and potentially consistent condom use.