One in Three Americans (36%) Likely to Use Sharing Economy Services on Vacation This Summer

New York, NY -- One in three Americans (36%) say they are likely (14% very/21% somewhat) to use sharing economy services such as AirBnB, HomeAway, Uber or Lyft during their summer vacation this year, according to a new Ipsos poll conducted on behalf of Allianz Global Assistance.

This is a significant increase from 2015, when just 17% of Americans said they were likely to use these services while on summer vacation. While a majority (64%) still say they are not likely (38% not at all/27% not very) to use these services on vacation this summer, the naysayers are considerably reduced in number compared to last summer, when 82% of Americans said they were unlikely to take advantage of the sharing economy.

Familiarity and Trust Drive Consideration

America is becoming increasingly familiar with the variety of sharing economy services on offer. Indeed, familiarity with all services polled on is up significantly from 2015.

• Car service Uber tops the list, with six in ten (62%) Americans saying they are familiar (24% very/38% somewhat) with the service (up 27 points from 2015)
• One in three (35%) Americans are familiar with AirBnB (12% very/23% somewhat), up 16 points.
• One in three Americans (34%) are familiar with Lyft (11% very/23% somewhat), up 19 points.
• Two in ten Americans (18%) are familiar with HomeAway (7% very/11% somewhat), up 8 points.
• One in ten Americans (11%) are familiar with GetAround (4% very/6% somewhat), up 4 points.
• One in ten Americans (10%) are familiar with Feastly (5% very/5% somewhat), up 4 points

With greater familiarity also comes increased trust. Half of Americans (48%) say they find sharing economy services such as AirBnB, HomeAway, Uber or Lyft to be trustworthy (10% very/38% somewhat). This is up 4 points from 2015. Two in ten Americans (22%) find these services not trustworthy (8% not at all/14% not very), while 30% don't know.

Who's Sharing?

Men (41%) are more likely than women (31%) to say they are likely to use a sharing economy service on vacation this summer. Age also plays a role, with younger Americans more likely than older ones to consider using the sharing economy: two in three (65%) Americans aged 18-34 say they are likely to use, compared to one in three (33%) of those 35- 54 and just 14% of those 55 and over. Interestingly, Americans with an income of $50K or more (38%) are more likely to plan on using sharing economy services that those with an income less than $50K (32%). Those with a college degree (45%) are also significantly more likely to use these services on summer vacation than those without a degree (28%).

The poll also asked whether Americans thought the sharing economy or traditional travel and booking services provided the better experience. While the sharing economy is winning out on being better value for money and the better local experience, traditional services still have a considerable edge when it comes to offering the best overall experience, the better quality product, the better booking experience and better customer support when things go wrong.

These are findings from an Ipsos poll conducted May 3 to 10, 2016, on behalf of Allianz. For the survey, a sample of 2,007 US adults age 18 and over was interviewed online in English. The sample for this study was randomly drawn from Ipsos' online panel, partner online panel sources, and "river" sampling and does not rely on a population frame in the traditional sense. Ipsos uses fixed sample targets, unique to each study, in drawing sample. The source of these population targets is U.S. Census 2014 American Community Survey data. The sample drawn for this study reflects fixed sample targets on demographics. Statistical margins of error are not applicable to online polls. All sample surveys and polls may be subject to other sources of error, including, but not limited to coverage error and measurement error. Where figures do not sum to 100, this is due to the effects of rounding. The precision of Ipsos online polls is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, the poll has a credibility interval of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points for all respondents. Ipsos calculates a design effect (DEFF) for each study based on the variation of the weights, following the formula of Kish (1965). This study had a credibility interval adjusted for design effect of the following (n=2,007, DEFF=1.5, adjusted Confidence Interval=4.0).

For more information on this news release, please contact:

Julia Clark Senior Vice President Ipsos Public Affairs 312.526.4919 [email protected]

Sean Simpson Vice President Ipsos Public Affairs 416.572.4474 [email protected]

About Ipsos

Ipsos ranks third in the global research industry. With a strong presence in 87 countries, Ipsos employs more than 16,000 people and has the ability to conduct research programs in more than 100 countries. Founded in France in 1975, Ipsos is controlled and managed by research professionals. They have built a solid Group around a multi-specialist positioning-- Media and advertising research; Marketing research; Client and employee relationship management; Opinion & social research; Mobile, Online, Offline data collection and delivery. Ipsos has been listed on the Paris Stock Exchange since 1999. www.ipsos.com