Gig Work, Online Selling and Home Sharing
Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world. It does not take policy positions. The center conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, content analysis and other data driven social science research. It studies U.S. politics and policy; journalism and media; internet, science and technology; religion and public life; Hispanic trends; global attitudes and trends; and U.S. social and demographic trends. All of the Center's reports are available at www.pewresearch.org. Pew Research Center is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts, its primary funder. From neighborhood handymen to freelance computer programmers, Americans have long taken on piecemeal work in lieu of (or in addition to) traditional salaried employment. But today a variety of apps and online platforms are making it easier than ever for people to connect with customers who might like to hire them to do any number of jobs from performing various types of online tasks to driving for ride hailing services or cleaning someone's home. These platforms also allow users to earn money in a range of other ways, such as sharing their possessions with others or selling their used goods or personal creations. Proponents of these digital earning platforms argue that they offer important benefits, such as the freedom and flexibility to work at a time and place of one's choosing or the ability to turn a hobby or pastime into a source of income. But others worry that this emerging " gig economy " represents a troubling shift in which workers face increased financial instability and are required to shoulder more of the burden for ensuring their own pay and benefits. Against this backdrop, a new Pew Research Center survey of U.S. adults finds that a relatively substantial share of the public has earned money recently from a digital commerce platform. In the context of gig employment, nearly one in ten Americans (8% have earned money in the last year using digital platforms to take on a job or task. Meanwhile, nearly one in five Americans (18% have earned money in the last year by selling something online, while 1% have rented out their properties on a home sharing site. Adding up everyone who has performed at least one of these three activities, some 24% of American adults have earned money in the " platform economy " over the last year.