You've stayed up wondering about it, and now science is giving us new data into what drove the Great Toilet Paper Shortage of 2020. They asked questions about subjects' recent toilet paper purchasing during the height of the coronavirus pandemic from March 23 to March 29. People falling in that category were the ones most likely to self-report either hoarding or panic-buying toilet paper. Panic buying is contagiousIn March, some companies reported a 700% increase in toilet paper sales, and manufacturers were overwhelmed by the unexpected demand. Panic buying can beget more panic buying.