Risks in Relation to Adopting Airbnb Accommodation: The Role of Fear of COVID-19

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Abstract

This study examined the impacts of perceived Airbnb risks, i.e., performance, financial, physical, social, time, and psychological risks on tourists’ intention to use Airbnb. The study also explored the moderating effect of the fear of COVID-19 on the relationship between perceived Airbnb risks and the tourist’s intention to use Airbnb. The data was collected from 248 customers of Airbnb using a survey approach. The data were analyzed utilizing the Smart PLS V.4. The PLS-SEM results revealed that Airbnb (physical, psychological, time, performance, financial and social risks) had a significant negative effect on the intention to use Airbnb. On the other side, the fear of COVID-19 acted as a moderator between Airbnb’s physical, psychological, and social risks and the intention to use Airbnb, indicating that customers tend to tolerate time and performance risks when having a high level of fear of COVID-19 and prefer to use Airbnb regardless of them. This shift in customer behavior towards customers’ intention to use Airbnb in light of the fear of COVID-19 gives Airbnb an edge that should be exploited via remedying other risks. It was suggested that the Airbnb hosts’ awareness of the importance of Airbnb in the context of tourism in Egypt should be enhanced. Additionally, a legislative framework should govern Airbnb transactions to secure tourists in dealing with Airbnb hosts. Professionalism in providing Airbnb services should also be adopted. Future studies in the context of the current subject could conduct multi-group analyses according to different types of Airbnb accommodation and use a larger sample size.

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The Fear of COVID-19 Scale: Development and Initial Validation

Daniel Ahorsu, Chung-Ying Lin, Vida Imani … (2020)

Background The emergence of the COVID-19 and its consequences has led to fears, worries, and anxiety among individuals worldwide. The present study developed the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) to complement the clinical efforts in preventing the spread and treating of COVID-19 cases. Methods The sample comprised 717 Iranian participants. The items of the FCV-19S were constructed based on extensive review of existing scales on fears, expert evaluations, and participant interviews. Several psychometric tests were conducted to ascertain its reliability and validity properties. Results After panel review and corrected item-total correlation testing, seven items with acceptable corrected item-total correlation (0.47 to 0.56) were retained and further confirmed by significant and strong factor loadings (0.66 to 0.74). Also, other properties evaluated using both classical test theory and Rasch model were satisfactory on the seven-item scale. More specifically, reliability values such as internal consistency (α = .82) and test–retest reliability (ICC = .72) were acceptable. Concurrent validity was supported by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (with depression, r = 0.425 and anxiety, r = 0.511) and the Perceived Vulnerability to Disease Scale (with perceived infectability, r = 0.483 and germ aversion, r = 0.459). Conclusion The Fear of COVID-19 Scale, a seven-item scale, has robust psychometric properties. It is reliable and valid in assessing fear of COVID-19 among the general population and will also be useful in allaying COVID-19 fears among individuals.