The effect of the COVID-19 on sharing economy: survival analysis of Airbnb listings

Abstract

This research investigates the survival probability of listings in the Airbnb platform during theCOVID-19 period between January-October 2020 in Istanbul. In line with the research aim, Cox'sProportional Hazard Model is adopted to conduct survival analysis, where the physical and spatialattributes of Airbnb listings are used as predictors. Our findings show that while physical attributesshow similarity to previous findings, spatial attributes show substantial differences in the Pre-COVIDand Post-COVID comparison. The contributions of the study have two facets. Theoretically, thisresearch's findings contribute to the current literature by understanding the changing consumerpreferences and identifying the factors that affect Airbnb listings' survival rates during the COVID-19pandemic. The findings may also help practitioners understand changing customers' preferencesduring COVID, especially in terms of locational choices. Moreover, customer feedback's quality andquantity might help the Airbnb hosts to improve their service quality, attract more customers, and bemore resilient under the changing conditions.