Take me on a ride: The role of environmentalist identity for carpooling

Abstract

Sharing does not need to involve corporate providers but can also happen on a peerto-peer (P2P) basis. P2P sharing platforms who match private providers and users are thus dealing with two different customer segments. An example of this is carpooling, the sharing of a car journey. Recent years have seen considerable research on why people use sharing services. In contrast, there is little knowledge of why people may offer a good for sharing purposes. Drawing on identity theory, this paper suggests that users and providers of carpooling need to be addressed differently. A pilot study and two studies, including both actual car owners and nonowners confirm that the extent to which one identifies as an environmentalist predicts car owners' willingness to offer carpooling, but does not affect nonowners' willingness to use carpooling services.These findings remain robust when controlling for various potential confounds. Furthermore, Study 2 suggests that an environmentalist identity plays an important role for car owners' actual decision to offer a ride via an online platform. These results suggest that marketers of P2P platforms need to pursue different strategies when addressing potential users and providers on the same platform. K E Y W O R D Scarpooling, environmentalist, identity, peer-to-peer platform, sharing economy

A Systematic Literature Review. Relationships between the Sharing Economy, Sustainability and Sustainable Development Goals

“…Regarding car-sharing, key elements are knowledge, environmentalism, the possession-self link and involvement with cars [29]. In connection with the user of the platform the effects are different; for car owners, sustainability is a key factor in offering their car, however, for passengers it is irrelevant [30]. Regarding the second hand market, besides sustainability and economic benefits, another motivation for the use of the platform is distancing from the consumer system and the value of brands [31].…”

The Influence of Regulation on Trust and Risk Preference in Sharing Communities

“…The same is true for the participants in our samples and can therefore be presumed as a valid sample for studying the behavior of consumers of car-sharing offers. Considering the aging of most western populations, an increase of older consumers of car-sharing offers can be expected in the next years (Hartl et al, 2020). Therefore, future research may investigate the relationship between regulation, trust, and risk preference in the context of the sharing economy by employing a more diverse sample.…”

The origin of the sharing economy meets the legacy of fractional ownership

“…Shared consumption allows exploitation of idle capacity which may be abundant if the goods are owned and used individually (Frenken & Schor 2017). Advocates of the sharing economy highlight its positive impact on the environment and more sustainable consumption (Heinrichs 2013, Piscicelli et al 2015, Martin 2016, particularly in relation to the specific case of car sharing and car pooling (Firnkorn & Müller 2011, Baptista et al 2014, Hartl et al 2020.…”