Human navigation under GPS jamming: A natural experiment on the society level

GPS navigation is ubiquitously used worldwide - How do humans react when it becomes unreliable? During the 2023-2025 Israel-Hezbollah war, GPS jamming was widespread, creating a natural experiment in which millions of users could no longer rely upon it. Here we survey participants in a convenience sample (n=187) and then in a pre-registered representative national-population sample (n=402). We find that participants were indeed greatly distressed at losing access to GPS, with negative initial and follow-up emotional reactions. Users reported turning to strategies such as route memorization or offline maps, and limiting their driving to new places. However they still continued to rely on GPS for navigation. This natural experiment, which hopefully will not repeat itself, offers a unique window into the effects of GPS navigation on human spatial capabilities and perceptions on a society level, with implications for spatial cognition theories, human navigation and societal preparedness for GPS disruptions.