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'Fake goods more likely to be bought by high earners'
High earners are more likely to buy counterfeit goods than people on low wages, according to a report released today.
The study found that half of people earning more than 50,000 a year admitted buying counterfeit goods compared with 41% of people earning less than 15,000.
DVDs and CDs were the most popular counterfeit purchases with more than a third (36%) of people questioned saying they had bought them.
Just under a quarter (23%) admitted buying counterfeit clothes while a fifth (21%) said they bought counterfeit computer software.
The report, published by Business Action to Stop Counterfeiting and Piracy (Bascap), found that more than half of consumers (59%) thought the trade in counterfeit goods harmed both the original brand and the country's economy.
Around two-thirds (68%) said people bought counterfeit goods because they could not afford the original.
Bascap co-ordinator Jeffrey Hardy said: "Consumers may think that buying counterfeit goods is a saving, but this practice is not a victimless crime - it costs people their jobs at a time when unemployment is already high, exposes them to health and safety risks and severely damages the economy.
"The research shows that consumers take a very casual approach to counterfeits, not recognising the real harm that can come from their purchases.
"It also shows that consumers will change their attitudes and purchase habits when they understand the risks and dangers to themselves, their families and their communities. Consumers also are looking for evidence that Government views this as a serious problem which has consequences."
* Researchers spoke to 1,035 people in the UK aged between 18 and 65.
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