Beyond Unidimensional Trust and User Roles: A Multidimensional Role-Based Approach to Trust

Trust is a multidimensional concept composed of competence, benevolence, and integrity. However, scholars have mainly used unidimensional scales to measure trust. Drawing upon the Trust Transfer Model, this study assessed how different dimensions of digital platform trust, dual-role users (acting as both host and guest), and corporate social responsibility (CSR) influence trust in Peer-to-Peer hosts. A survey with 894 Airbnb users tested the study’s hypotheses. The findings show that platform competence-based trust and CSR strongly influence trust toward hosts, while integrity has a weaker effect, and benevolence is only significant for dual-role users. Host trust mediates the relationship between platform trusting beliefs and customer satisfaction. The study reveals that dual-role users moderate the relationship between benevolence-based trust and trust toward hosts, while CSR’s effect on host trust is stronger for users with single role. The study has implications for Peer-to-Peer organizations and service providers.