Green accommodation choices in the sharing economy

Abstract

Purpose: This study aims to explore how tourist intention to select green peer-to-peer (P2P) accommodation is shaped by complex, interrelated factors. While past research has largely adopted linear approaches, this study addresses the need for a configurational understanding of behavioural intention in green consumption, particularly within the under-examined P2P accommodation sector.

Design/methodology/approach: Adopting a configurational perspective grounded in complexity theory, the study uses fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) and Necessary Condition Analysis (NCA) to explore how configurations of causal conditions – together with key demographic and experiential factors – shape tourists’ intention to select green P2P accommodation.

Findings: Three distinct orientations were identified: value- and norm-based, concern–capability and socially reinforced habitual control. These reflect differing pathways through which intention is formed, based on the interplay of environmental concern, attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control and green behaviour at home. The presence of these conditions across configurations highlights that intention may emerge through different causal paths, each shaped by distinct combinations of influencing factors.

Originality/value: To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to examine tourist intention to choose green P2P accommodation through the lens of complexity theory. Moving beyond the linear assumptions of past research, it adopts a configurational approach to reveal how multiple interacting factors shape behavioural intention. By applying fsQCA and NCA within this framework, this study uncovers distinct pathways to intention, offering both theoretical advancement in the study of green consumption and practical value for platforms and hosts operating in the landscape of P2P accommodation.