Household Digital Consumer Behaviour 2025

This chapter looks at the ‘sharing economy’, also called the collaborative economy, which is based on shared resources, like a room, a service, reselling, a skill or a car, between individuals via a digital platform, in its majority practice as a temporary exchange. Examples of these practices are Airbnb, CouchSurfing, RoomShare, Hailo, LiftShare, etc. Questions on the ‘sharing economy’ were asked previously in the 2022 and 2023 surveys.

Users should also note that the 2025 survey was carried out in Quarter 2 (Q2) of 2025, while the 2023 survey was carried out over Q1 and Q2. Also for the 2025 survey, the new data collection model introduced for the 2024 survey, was used. Please refer to the Background Notes for more information.

‘Non-collaborative’ economy involves the arranging of accommodation, transport or other services on a digital platform from a commercial enterprise (non-collaborative economy) such as a hotel, travel agency, etc. rather than from a private provider. This is covered in the chapter Culture and Travel.

Note: The data presented in this release relates to individuals aged 16 years and over who used the internet in the three months prior to completing the survey.

Use of sharing economy accommodation platforms far exceeds those for transport services

In 2025, almost one in five (18%) internet users reported booking accommodation from a private person via an online platform (website or app), such as Airbnb, CouchSurfing, RoomShare, etc. One in twelve (8%) had booked a transport service from a private person (such as LiftShare, CarpoolWorld).

One-quarter of internet users (25%) had bought physical goods from another private person on platforms such as Facebook Marketplace, Vinted, Depop, DoneDeal, etc. Males were far more likely to buy goods on digital platforms at 29%, compared with just 21% of females. Males aged 30 to 44 years were most likely to purchase goods on such platforms (36%).

Just 3% of internet users had used online platforms such as Facebook Marketplace, Adverts, etc. for booking household services (from a private person) including cleaning, babysitting, repair work, gardening, etc.

Analysis by deprivation quintile shows that people living in very affluent areas were far more likely to book accommodation on Airbnb or other such platforms. Almost one-quarter (24%) of people in very affluent areas booked accommodation this way, compared with one in seven (14%) in disadvantaged areas and 17% in very disadvantaged areas.