‘Hotels are much easier’: motivation for non-participation in travel-related sharing economy exchanges

The rise of the sharing economy (SE) has inspired researchers to examine the motivation behind user participation in SE exchanges. Few studies have, however, examined the motivational factors that deter participation in SE exchanges. This study investigates the motivation for non-participation as both consumer and provider and uses self-determination theory to contrast these findings with motivation for participation in SE exchanges. The study also examines the characteristics of the assets people are unwilling to share through SE exchanges. Data is collected through 16 semi-structured interviews with informants from Norway. Six motivational categories pertaining to non-participation were identified through thematic analysis: (1) Economic motivation, (2) lack of utility, (3) perceived personal cost of participation, (4) conflicts with personal values, (5) social motivation, and (6) safety concerns. Additionally, several descriptive categories pertaining to the characteristics of the assets informants were unwilling/willing to share were identified. These findings provide new insights into deterrents to SE participation, which have important practical and theoretical implications.