Canberrans are the country's early adopters of the sharing economy, embracing it faster as a source of income and services than people in other states and territories, a survey shows.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
In the ACT, 76 per cent of people used services like Uber, Airbnb and Airtasker, far more than Queenslanders (68 per cent) as the second-highest users, according to a six-monthly survey on trust in the sharing economy.
The Australian Sharing Economy Trust Index, compiled by sharing economy peer-to-peer lending service RateSetter, showed 65 per cent of people surveyed nationally used a sharing economy service in the last six months.
Australian National University labour market expert Nick Biddle said the variability in service availability in Canberra with parliamentary sittings may make flexible sharing economy websites, including ride-sharing platform Uber, better suited to the ACT.
Its population included large groups - in prime working age - more comfortable using online platforms, Associate Professor Biddle said.
However other states and territories had a greater number of people open to embracing sharing economy websites but not currently using them.
"It's almost like the ACT has exhausted the early adopters, and a lot more effort will need to go into convincing that other corner of the population."
Associate Professor Biddle said the data, compiled by a sharing economy service and including online marketplaces eBay and Gumtree, needed to be treated carefully.
The ACT government's support for sharing economy services may have also encouraged use among Canberrans, he said.
The growth in users of labour outsourcing service Airtasker has raised concerns for UnionsACT, which believes the platform could leave users liable for injuries to people carrying out work.
Airtasker has registered more than 12,300 people in Canberra, up from 4522 in January 2016.
The ACT became the first jurisdiction to regulate Uber in 2015.
RateSetter chief executive Daniel Foggo said regulatory uncertainty can be a barrier to trust in sharing economy services.
"If governments step in to provide regulatory certainty, platform use can explode. They have a very important role."
The ASETI survey showed changes in web users' willingness to use sharing economy services, indicating 26 per cent of respondents said their trust in the platforms rose compared to six months ago. Another 25 per cent said they trusted the services less.
Ride sharing and online marketplaces showed the largest increases in trust. The most common barrier to trust for sharing economy services was concern over lack of safety (50 per cent).
Among services, online marketplaces (54 per cent) and ride sharing (24 per cent) were most popular among users. Ride sharing showed the largest increase in users between June and November last year, growing eight per cent.
People aged 18-34 were more likely to use sharing economy websites and apps. Those between 35 and 44 years old spent most on the services, an average of $138 a month, and were the largest earners ($134 a month).
Most users sought work with sharing economy services for extra discretionary spending money, or to make up for shortfalls in regular income.
