It seems that on top of all of the other evils that counterfeiting produces, it also creates a tendency among its consumers to be less moral. According to a blog written by the New York Times, a study has been done about the moral implications of counterfeit consumption. The study found that individuals who were told that they were wearing counterfeit sunglasses were more likely to cheat on tests than individuals who were told that they were wearing real sunglasses.
From NYT post:
“The effect on morality, people don’t anticipate,” said Prof. Dan Ariely, the author of “Predictably Irrational,” who conducted the studies. “We asked them if wearing fakes would get people to cheat more, they didn’t think it has an effect.”
It seems that most consumers do not even realize the impact of their choices, but there is a subconscious effect. Consumers tend to cheat more when they realize that their peers are cheating. Consumers also tend to purchase more counterfeits when they realize their peers are doing it as well.
This study also asked consumers how authentic they would feel with one, two or three counterfeit items. The researchers found that once the consumer wore at least one counterfeit item, it was easier to wear two or three. This indicates that once a consumer starts to wear counterfeit items, it is easier to keep buying counterfeits than if they never started at all.
To read more about this study, the moral effects of counterfeits, and the impact of branding, check out the NYT post here:
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/03/16/the-moral-costs-of-counterfeiting/
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