What drives guests to misreport their experiences on Airbnb? A structural equation modelling approach

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to determine guest misreport sources in Airbnb reviews. Previous studies have signalled the existence of positive bias in reviews. Here we examine the relationship between misreporting and the following factors: reciprocity, attachment, tolerance threshold, strategic behaviour and social influence. The results, obtained from a sample of 815 Airbnb users who reviewed their experience on the platform, show that the strategic behaviour of guests as well as their social influence are directly related to misreporting on Airbnb. Individual attachment is indirectly related to misreporting through the tolerance threshold. This study develops and tests a structural model which explains the factors that lead guests on the platform to misreport their actual experiences.