Sharing Economy and Couchsurfing

Due to the novelty of the sharing economy topic, scholars have attempted to cover its aspects but the prior knowledge on the field lacks of a holist view, which this study attempts to provide. The focus of this study concentrates on the Couchsurfing aspect as it is a completely non-financial platform immersed in a US$ 310 billion industry (Opinium, 2013). This study uses empirical research to analyze the reasons to participate on Couchsurfing and its impact on the sharing economy. A sample of 126 Couchsurfing members answered a questionnaire and new insights about the sharing economy and how Couchsurfing is placed inside of it appeared.