The sharing economy in a digital society: youth consumer behavior in Italy.

Purpose: This paper aims to explore the sharing economy in Italy, focusing on key socioeconomic characteristics. Design/methodology/approach: Adopting an exploratory approach, it analyzes the answers of a questionnaire, created using Google Forms and administered via social networks and e-mails. To analyze the answers statistical tests and descriptive statistics were used. The survey reveals potential behavioral factors, which influence the participation propensity to share economic practices. Findings: Results exhibit that the age of the consumer is an impactful participating factor of sharing economy, and therefore, it seems to be a discriminant. On the contrary, gender and annual income are insignificant determinants. Research limitations/implications: The sample is unbalanced, the majority of the answers were provided by young people. Social implications: The paper can give a picture of the role and the importance of the sharing economy in Italy. Motivated by its global economic growth that could reach in 2025 the value of €570bn, it contextualizes what drives people to collaborate and share tangible and intangible assets. Originality/value: It aims to discover how this digital trend shapes the social fabric of the global economy, providing a broader reflection in terms of future sustainability developments. Ongoing dynamic changes on digital consumer preferences toward sharing products and services provide valuable evidence on their future commercial behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]