Feedback behaviour in the platform economy : Do the working conditions of platform workers matter?

The rise of platform economy services has led to discussions about poor working conditions of platform workers. At the same time, online reputation feedback systems where consumers give immediately feedback about the service quality are becoming ever more important. Platform workers increasingly rely on these feedbacks because they serve as indicators that can determine whether a worker will be assigned for new jobs or not. This study investigates the extent to which consumers consider the working conditions of platform workers when they participate in online feedback ratings. The aim of this study is to find out how this can be explained by platform specific characteristics, the socio-economic status of the consumers, or differences in the consumer's perceptions of the platform economy. Quantitative data was collected via an offline and online survey (N=91). A multiple linear regression analysis revealed that the factors consumer's gender, political orientation, age, and the perceived impact of the feedback rating have significant effects on the extent to which consumers emphasize the working conditions of platform workers.