Spatiotemporal Patterns and Socioeconomic Dimensions of Shared Accommodations: The Case of Airbnb in Los Angeles, California

Abstract

ABSTRACT:In recent years, disruptive innovation by peer-to-peer platforms in a variety of industries, notably transportation and hospitality have altered the way individuals consume everyday essential services. With growth in sharing economy platforms such as Uber for ridesharing and Airbnb for short-term accommodations, interest in examining spatiotemporal patterns of participation in the sharing economy by suppliers and consumers is increasing. This research is motivated by key questions: who are the sharing economy workers, where are they located, and does their location influence their participation in the sharing economy? This paper is the first systematic effort to analyze spatiotemporal patterns of participation by hosts in the shared accommodation-based economy. Using three different kinds of shared accommodations listed in a 3-year period in the popular short-term accommodation platform, Airbnb, we examine spatiotemporal dimensions of host participation in a major U.S. market, Los Angeles CA. The paper also develops a conceptual model by positing associations of demographic, socioeconomic, occupational, and social capital attributes of hosts, along with their attitudes toward trust and greener consumption with hosts' participation in a shared accommodation market. Results confirm host participation to be influenced by young dependency ratio, the potential of supplemental income, as well as the sustainability potential of collaborative consumption, along with finance, insurance, and real estate occupation, but not so much by trust for our overall study area. These results add new insights to limited prior knowledge about the sharing economy worker and have policy implications.

Spatial and Socioeconomic Analysis of Host Participation in the Shared Accommodation Economy – Airbnb in New York City

“…Despite higher educational levels, millennials' median income is close to that of previous generations when they were of the same age. Interestingly however, Americans aged 35 -44 are nearly twice as likely to use home-sharing services than those aged 18 -24 [26]. Therefore, we posit dependency ratio ([population 0-19 + population 65+] / population 20 -64) as well as educational attainment (per capita high school and college-educated population) to be inversely associated with host participation.…”

“…Another body of research has investigated the motivating and deterrent factors to participate in sharing economy [14,16]. In a prior study conducted by the authors, motivations of Airbnb hosts to participate in sharing economy were categorized as economic, education, employment, trust, social capital, and sustainability [26]. Economic factors such as supplemental income significantly determine why people share their belongings [24].…”

“…Economic factors such as supplemental income significantly determine why people share their belongings [24]. Modern sharing economy requires technology skills that encourage a particular group of educated people who are employed in certain industries to join the sharing economy [26,29]. Social capital is a necessary factor for participation in sharing economy platforms [29].…”

“…Demographic Influences: Recent reports [13,26] have indicated that compared to the U.S. workforce, ondemand workers tend to be more male, younger, and more educated. The same report indicates that millennials are more likely to participate in the sharing economy compared to other generations.…”

“…Economic Influences: Usage and awareness about home-sharing platforms are especially high among college graduates and the relatively affluent -groups that are more likely to afford travel than their lessaffluent peers [26]. Recent Bloomberg reports also indicate that a primary motivation for on-demand workers to participate in the sharing economy is to find "enough" work that enables them to supplement their traditional income [25].…”