Unraveling the Impact of Demographics on the Path to Sustainability in the Sharing Economy

The concept of the sharing economy has become a focal point in contemporary discussions about sustainability. Sustainability encapsulates the principle of fulfilling the needs of the present generation without jeopardizing the capacity of future generations to meet their own needs. This principle has taken on heightened importance as corporations across the globe grapple with the urgent need to confront and mitigate pressing environmental and social challenges. In our study, we delved into the intricate relationship between demographic factors and sustainable behavior within the framework of the sharing economy. We investigated the willingness to support sustainability from two different perspectives: assets owners (the supply side) and those who utilize them (the demand side). On the supply side, we discovered that women belonging to Generation Z who had attained a university education were more inclined to support sustainability. This suggests that gender, educational attainment and generational values play a pivotal role in shaping attitudes toward sustainability on the supply side. On the demand side, we discovered that women, irrespective of their generational cohort, who had a university education, exhibited a greater propensity to support sustainability. This suggests that gender and educational attainment play a pivotal role in shaping attitudes toward sustainability on the demand side. Interestingly, our study found that the size of the city in which the respondents resided had no significant bearing on their support for sustainability within the sharing economy. This suggests that sustainable attitudes transcend geographical boundaries, further emphasizing the universal appeal and potential of the sharing economy.