Seventy-two percent of U.S. adults have purchased services in the sharing, on-demand or collaborative economy, according to a study released this morning by the Pew Research Center.
The survey underlines how quickly that digital services in these sectors have spread and disrupted marketplaces. Some of the best known players didn't exist 10 years ago. Home-sharing service Airbnb, for instance, was founded in 2008, and ride-sharing app Uber launched in 2009.
But the survey shows wide disparities among who is using the services, which often cater to populations in major cities who have disposable income. Americans with six-figure household incomes and college degrees, as well as younger adults, are much more likely to use the services than the general population.
- Among respondents, 41% of adults with annual household incomes of $100,000 or more have used at least four of the services, three times the rate of households earning less than $30,000 per year.
- Thirty-nine percent of college graduates have used four or more of the services, versus 8% of respondents whose highest level of was high school graduation or less.
- Thirty-three percent of adults ages 18 to 24 have used at least four of the services, compared to 44% of those ages 50 and up and 5% of those ages 65 and up.
In one interesting finding, most Americans don't know the lingo often used to describe this part of the economy. For instance, 89% of Americans didn't know the term "gig economy," 73% of Americans had not heard the term "sharing economy," and 61% had not heard the term "crowdfunding."
The Pew Research Center surveyed 4,787 American adults between Nov. 24 and Dec. 21, 2015. It asked about their familiarity with 11 services in the sharing, on-demand and collaborative economy, among them ride-sharing apps such as Uber and Lyft, home-sharing services such as Airbnb and VRBO and crowdfunding sites such as Kickstarter and GoFundMe.
Many of the services that get the most press are not used as widely as one might imagine. Only 11% of respondents had used a home-sharing app such as Airbnb, and just 15% had tried a ride-sharing app such as Uber. The most popular services were those used to to purchase used or second-hand goods online, which 50% of respondents said they had tried. Programs offering expedited or same-day delivery were also popular, used by 41%.
The survey also looked at the debate over ride-sharing apps. Fewer than half of respondents -- 48% -- had heard about it, though 85% of ride-sharing users were familiar. Among those who are aware of it, 57% said ride-sharing companies should not have to follow the same regulations as existing taxi companies.
Respondents who know about the debate generally see ride-sharing providers as software companies that connect drivers with passengers, with 58% taking this view, compared to 30% who see them as transportation companies that have a lot of control over the user experience. Those familiar with the debate also tend to view drivers as independent contractors running their own business, with 66% taking this view, compared to 23% who see the drivers as employees. Nonetheless, 66% of respondents who know about the debate say that the ride-sharing companies should be responsible for making sure the drivers are properly trained, which is typically a function of an employer.
Particular types of services tended to attract unique demographics. Although ride sharing users tend to be very young adults, home-sharing apps tend to attract users in midlife. Among Americans ages 35-44, 16% had used a home-sharing service, compared to 9% of those ages 18 to 24, with the median age of users being 42. Many people see these services as being suited for families or people who travel as a group, with 87% of respondents agreeing with this statement.
Fewer respondents have followed the debate about whether home-sharing sites should be legal, with only 22% of Americans saying they were aware of it. Among those familiar with the controversy, 56% say the services should be legal and should not have to pay hotel or lodging taxes.
The survey also provides an interesting look at how quickly crowdfunding has spread. Although the pioneering site Kickstarter has only operated since 2009, 22% of adults said they had contributed to an online fundraising project on such a site. Only 3% had tried to raise funds on one of the sites, however.
Among those who had contributed to a crowdfunding site, 68% made a donation to someone in need, while 34% helped fund a new product or invention. Thirty percent had helped support a creative artist or musician.
Male donors were more than two times as likely as female donors to have contributed to six or more projects. Women were more likely to donate to a project to help someone in need, while men favored projects that would fund a new project or invention or a creative artist.
Given that users of many sites in the on-demand, sharing and collaborative economies would be considered early adopters, there should be plenty of interesting data to come as a broader segment of the population tries them. This is the first time Pew Research Center has studied these types of businesses and their impact, but I doubt it will be the last.
