One third of Europeans cannot buy counterfeit goods. Everything depends on the price – if it is too high for the original product, “fake” items are often used.
80 percent agree that counterfeit goods support criminal organizations and ruin businesses and jobs. This is according to a study published by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO).
Between January 30 and February 15, 2023, 25,824 online interviews were conducted with residents aged 15 and over in all EU Member States, and 1,013 people were interviewed in Austria. 28 percent of Austrian consumers said they were unsure whether a product was genuine or not, while 10 percent said they had deliberately bought counterfeit goods.
Big differences between Member States
The differences between Member States are significant here: while about a quarter of consumers in Denmark and the Netherlands (26%) were not sure whether the product they bought was genuine or not, in Romania this share rose to 72%.
Lots of illegal access online
Twelve percent of Austrians admitted to illegally accessing online content, especially at sporting events, the EU average was 14 percent and among young people aged between 15 and 24 as high as 33 percent. The percentage of people accessing illegal content varied by country, ranging from nine percent in Finland and Denmark to 22 percent in Malta. Better affordability and a wider choice of content from legal sources were the main reasons for turning away from illegal content.
According to the survey on citizens’ perceptions of intellectual property, Europeans are increasingly aware of the risks and consequences of buying counterfeit goods and accessing content from illegal sources. Across Europe, two out of three respondents believed that counterfeiting posed a risk to health, safety and the environment.
Four in ten Europeans paid to access content from a legal source in the past year, compared to 38 percent in Austria. With regard to piracy, 82% of Europeans agreed that obtaining digital content from illegal sources carries the risk of engaging in harmful practices (scams or inappropriate content for minors).
Despite these positive results, the survey also shows that one in three people in Europe (31 percent) still find it acceptable to buy counterfeit goods if the price of the original is too high. For younger consumers aged 15 to 24, this share rises to half.
Younger people are more likely to intentionally buy counterfeit goods
When asked about their specific behavior, 13 percent of those surveyed said they had knowingly purchased counterfeit goods in the past 12 months. This figure rises to 26 per cent for 15 to 24 year olds, twice the EU average, while it rises to 6 per cent for those aged 55 to 64 and to below five per cent for those aged 65 and over. At a national level, the share of consumers who knowingly bought counterfeit goods ranges from 24 percent in Bulgaria to 8 percent in Finland.
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
