Americans and the new digital economy: 8 key findings
Digital technology has ushered in a slew of new shared, collaborative and on-demand online services ranging from virtual marketplaces to home sharing. These services have potentially far-reaching implications for consumers and regulators and for the future of work in this country. To examine the scope and impact of these new services, 
Ride-hailing apps are one of the most visible services in the new digital economy. Overall, 15% of U.S. adults have used a ride-hailing app, but that share rises to 28% among 18- to 29-year-olds. Young adults are also especially likely to use these services on a regular basis: 7% of 18- to 29-year-olds report using ride-hailing on a daily or weekly basis, compared with 3% of 30- to 49-year-olds and just 1% of adults ages 50 and older. And like many of these services, location matters: Urban residents are seven times as likely as rural residents to have used a ride-hailing app.
Ride-sharing's growing presence has prompted a debate over whether its drivers are contractors or employees. Two-thirds of ride-hailing users (66%) think of the drivers who work for these services as independent contractors who work for themselves, while 23% view them as employees of the app or service. At the same time, most users expect that these services should play a significant role in managing the overall customer experience – from ensuring that drivers are properly trained to making sure that vehicles are safe.
Ride-hailing users are following the regulatory debate closely, and many would prefer that governments take a light approach to these services. Cities across the country are struggling with the issue of how to incorporate ride-hailing apps into their existing taxi regulations. Fully 85% of ride-hailing users say they have heard something about this debate — with 39% indicating that they have heard “a lot” about it. And 57% of these ride-hailing users believe that these services should not be required to follow the regulations that are in place for traditional taxi services, while 27% believe that existing rules and regulations should apply to ride-hailing companies.
The public is less aware of the legal debate around home-sharing services. Just 19% of home-sharing users say they have heard a lot about the legal debate surrounding these services, while 43% have heard nothing at all. When asked about the best way to regulate these services, 56% of users feel that these services should be legal, and that homeowners using them should not have to pay hotel or lodging taxes; 31% think that homeowners should in fact have to pay these sorts of taxes.
About one-in-five Americans (22%) have contributed to a “crowdfunded” online fundraising project, while 3% have created their own fundraising project on one of these sites. Although large-scale fundraising projects get most of the attention in news stories, there are far more instances of people using crowdfunding platforms to help someone in need, often a person close to them. Roughly two-thirds (68%) of crowdfunding donors have contributed to a project to help a person facing a hardship or financial challenge, and around six-in-ten say they did so on behalf of an acquaintance, close friend or family member.
Users have a range of views about the perceived safety of some sharing economy services like ride-hailing apps and home-sharing services. Overall, 70% of ride-hailers feel that these services use drivers they feel safe riding with (just 5% disagree), although female users are a bit more likely to express concerns about driver safety than are male users. By the same token, around one-in-five home-sharing users feel that these services are risky to use – even though a much larger share (58%) disagree with this notion.
