Airbnb provides bigger economic boost for white neighbourhoods, study finds

Antionette Wonsey, who has rented spaces on Airbnb for the last few years, is photographed in May in her Englewood home. A Purdue University study found Airbnb rentals did not have a statistically significant effect on restaurant jobs in Chicago. Airbnb says the study is flawed. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune/TNS)

Airbnb rentals help local economies by driving restaurant traffic and employment in a handful of US cities, but not in predominantly black or Hispanic neighbourhoods, according to a study from Purdue University. 

The findings run counter to Airbnb's long-time assertion that home hosting helps “diverse” neighbourhoods by bringing tourists to areas of a city where hotels and other lodging options aren't as plentiful. But Airbnb calls the study “deeply flawed”.