Sharing economy and sustainable development in the opinion of the inhabitants of selected Polish cities

The economy of sharing is a new economic and social model, which main goal is to move from ownership to access. It consists of sharing underutilised resources or services – whether for a fee or free of charge. The paper explains the model of sharing economy in the context of modern urban problems. The aim of this article is to present the economy of sharing as a model that potentially contributes to sustainable development of modern cities. The quantitative study employs the diagnostic survey method. Using a survey questionnaire, we study the awareness of city residents about this new economic model, its perceived potential and trust residents put in the sharing economy solutions. The results suggest that the sharing economy is at least potentially a manifestation of sustainable development. Findings evaluate to what extent the sharing economy can contribute to solving problems of modern cities. The use of tools of sharing economy contributes to building social responsibility and shaping behaviours consistent with the idea of sustainable development.