the Future of Change

The Pew Research Center has a new report out on public perceptions of the sharing economy.  There are a number of very interesting findings in the study, including that usage of the sharing economy platforms is very spiky: younger, urban customers are more likely to access platforms like Uber, AirBnB, and Etsy, than older, more rural customers. In addition, it would appear that there is at least some public support for the notion that oversight of sharing economy platforms should be less restrictive than the ways in which more traditional providers in the same economic sectors are regulated.  The American public may seem to want to ensure sharing economy products and services remain less expensive and more convenient than the non-sharing economy alternatives.  Read the report here.  For my own take on the role of regulation in the sharing economy, where I look at ways to ensure the sharing economy can strike the right balance between consumer protection, convenience, and affordability, check out my piece on the subject here.