What inspires us to “share”? Motives to provide goods and services in the sharing economy

Abstract

The sharing economy allows individuals to provide goods or services on sharing platforms, but little is known about what motivates people to share or provide in these platforms. This study aims to analyze what inspires people to participate in the sharing economy as providers of goods and services. A framework with five determinants for willingness to provide (monetary compensation, flexibility, trust, convenience, and sense of belonging) is developed and tested using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling on data gathered in an online survey. The results show that sense of belonging has a significant positive effect on willingness to provide goods and services. Surprisingly, monetary compensation has a significant negative effect on willingness to provide goods. Having the same values, culture and common interests proves to be the main motive to share with strangers instead of earning money as previously believed.