Is the sharing economy inclusive? The age-related segmentation of Polish inhabitants from the perspective of the sharing economy in tourism

Abstract

The sharing economy (SE) in tourism (SET) refers to all tourist-oriented initiatives and services based on individuals’ practices of sharing resources with others, including transport and accommodation, among others, through the use of online networks. While tourism is one of the most rapidly growing sectors of the SE, the question arises if everyone has equal access to the SET. The aim of this paper is to verify the age-related differences of those who participate in the SET. We hypothesize that the mean age of those who potentially participate in the SET is lower than for non-participants. For this purpose, we conducted a cluster analysis on a sample of N = 35,279 Polish inhabitants to classify them according to their potential participation in the SET. We found that 22% of Polish inhabitants are potential participants in the SET. Their mean age is around 36 years. Those who are excluded (or who have a high chance of being excluded) from the SET have a mean age higher than those who are potential SET participants. Their share in total Polish inhabitants is 28%. Our findings may have broader significance for SET providers in Central-Eastern European countries, who (will) face problems of an aging population.

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