Consumer Preferences for Ownership across Generations: An Analysis of Access-based Consumption in the Sharing Economy

Description

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21868844

Priam Sujan¹ and N.K. Chadha² (Samhita Academy, Bangalore, Karnataka¹ and Department of Psychology, Delhi University, Delhi²)

The current study sought to determine if consumer preferences for ownership versus access-based consumption differed with age. 160 participants constituted the sample for the study, which was split into two groups: younger individuals (18-40 years old) and older adults (41-65 years old). Quantitative, cross-sectional survey design was utilised where various aspects of ownership were assessed using a self-created 15-item Likert-scale survey tool. The reliability of the instrument was found to be satisfactory (Cronbach’s α = 0.762). Descriptive statistics and an independent samples t-test were used to assess the data. The findings showed a statistically significant difference between the two groups (t = 2.066, p <.05), with older participants favoring traditional ownership-based systems and younger individuals more inclined toward access-based consumption models. The results indicated that consumer attitudes about the access-based economy are significantly influenced by demographic differences, with younger people placing a higher value on ease and technological involvement.