Participation in the Sharing Economy Revisited: The Role of Culture and Social Influence on Airbnb

Abstract

Despite a multitude of studies on the motivators of sharing economy participation, we understand little about how cultural and social drivers affect an individual's use of sharing services on an online platform. This paper examines the influence of cultural and social factors on a consumer's participation in a sharing economy. We used Hofstede's cultural dimensions theory and Ajzen's theory of planned behavior to formulate the research model to predict the behavioral intention to book an accommodation using the Airbnb platform. To test the model, an empirical study was conducted by collecting survey data on Amazon Mturk from 401 participants. Findings provide evidence that all the cultural dimensions except for masculinity were found to have significant relationship with attitude toward booking on Airbnb. Moreover, social influence has no significant effect on booking intention on Airbnb. We offered academic and practical implications and suggested future research directions based on our findings.