The emergence of COVID-19 in late 2019 prompted governments worldwide to implement multiple public health interventions. These included limits on mobility and social assemblies, which successfully lowered transmission rates and related deaths. In Japan, voluntary recommendations to stay indoors proved effective at controlling infections, as they did elsewhere. Nevertheless, these policies affected daily routines in other ways, such as reducing physical activity, increasing frailty risks, and promoting excessive eating—issues separate from their role in curbing viral spread. Individual characteristics such as personality, age, and cultural influences shaped how people adjusted their behavior during outings, with variations observed across different types of trips. This study examined links between personality characteristics and shifts in outing behaviors amid the COVID-19 crisis, while also identifying age-related variations in these behaviors across specific categories of outings. Researchers carried out a cross-sectional online survey in January 2021, coinciding with Japan’s second state of emergency announcement. A total of 1236 individuals participated, evenly distributed by gender and 10-year age brackets. The questionnaire assessed changes in the frequency of three outing categories—visits to medical facilities, dining out, and travel—alongside personality dimensions, including sociability and morality. Multinomial logistic regression models were used to explore associations between personality factors and changes in outing habits. Analyses were also stratified by age group. Among respondents, 790 individuals indicated no alteration in visits to medical institutions, while the frequency of dining out and travel notably declined during the pandemic. Age-group comparisons showed that a larger share of older participants maintained unchanged medical visits but reduced dining out and travel compared to younger participants. Age-stratified multinomial logistic regression indicated that, among younger adults, more sociable individuals had higher odds of decreased medical visits and increased dining out (odds ratio [OR] 1.92, 95% CI: 1.36‐2.71, P < .001; OR: 2.57, 95% CI: 1.19‐5.54, P = .016, respectively). Those with a stronger sense of responsibility were more prone to reduced travel frequency (OR: 1.76, 95% CI: 1.14‐2.72, P = .011). In older adults, individuals with high responsibility were less inclined to dine out frequently (OR: 2.56, 95% CI: 1.12‐5.82, P = .026). The research explored diverse behavioral adjustments during the pandemic across distinct outing types, their ties to personality traits, and variations by age. These insights may help develop more effective communication strategies and promote appropriate actions during future public health crises.
