Would you buy a pirated DVD?

TNS Research Surveys conducted a study at the end of 2006 amongst a representative sample of 2000 South African adults (aged 18 years and older) from the metro areas of South Africa to determine people’s willingness to buy pirated DVDs and CDs. Also probed was how people would react to being given R50.00 too much change by a cashier or teller.

These interviews were conducted face-to-face in people’s homes and, as such, are likely to under-represent the level of actual willingness to buy pirated goods. Hence, the results below are alarming, says TNS Research.

• One in five admit that they would buy pirated DVDs and CDs
  
• An astounding 20% of adults interviewed agreed with the following statement:
• “You are quite happy to buy pirated DVDs and CDs.”
  Agree – 20%
  Blacks – 18%
  Whites – 17%
  Coloureds – 23%
  Indians/Asians – 43%

  Disagree – 73%
  Blacks – 76%
  Whites – 76%
  Coloureds – 65%
  Indians/Asians – 54%

  Don’t know – 7%

These results suggest that just on three-quarters of people claim to reject the notion of buying pirated DVDs and CDs completely (less so amongst coloureds and Indians/Asians).

This survey has a margin of error of 2% for these particular results. TNS Research Surveys estimates that the size of the population surveyed in this study represents 11.7 million adults. This in turn means that 2.3 ± 0.25 million adults are willing to admit to an interviewer face-to-face that they would be willing to buy a pirated DVD or CD. Another 800 000 are not sure.

It is this state of mind that gives rise to the market for pirated DVDs and CDs that robs musicians and other artists of their royalties due under copyright law.

Other aspects of these findings are that

• males are more likely to agree with the statement than females (22% vs 17%), with the lowest figures being recorded for white females (14%) and black females (15%) and the highest for both male and female Indians/Asians (44% and 43% respectively);
  
• those under 24 (25%) have the highest response of all age groups, the figures falling to 19% for those aged 25 to 49, to 14% for those aged 50 to 59 and to 11% for those 60 and over;
  
• the very poorest people and the very wealthiest have the lowest levels of agreement (9% and 13% respectively) with all other income levels having response rates in the low twenties.

There are a few differences by area, partly driven by the race differences noted above:

Gauteng – 17% agreed that they would be willing to buy pirated DVDs and CDs

Johannesburg and environs – 17%
Johannesburg excluding Soweto – 17%
Soweto – 16%
East Rand – 19%
West Rand – 10%
Vaal Triangle and South Rand – 19%
Pretoria – 16%
Cape Town – 22%
Durban – 30% (the highest overall)
Eastern Cape – 16%
Port Elizabeth – 16%
East London – 16%

Bloemfontein – 5% (the lowest overall)

Would you return R50.00 too much change?

In a similar vein, people were asked to agree or disagree with the following:

“If a cashier or a teller gave you R50 too much change, you would keep it.”

Agree – 38%

Blacks – 47%
Whites – 20%
Coloureds – 26%
Indians/Asians – 25%

Disagree – 55%
Blacks – 45%
Whites – 75%
Coloureds – 66%
Indians/Asians – 70%

Don’t know – 7%

The results for whites and coloureds are quite consistent with the earlier finding on pirated good but, for blacks, the response rises considerably while for Indians/Asians, it drops considerably.

Gender differences are stronger here, with 43% of males and 34% of females agreeing that they would keep the R50.00. The difference is most marked amongst coloureds (35% of males agree compared with 19% of females).

Age effects are also much stronger:

• 18 - 24 year-olds – 47% agree
  
• 25 - 34 year-olds – 44% agree
  
• 35 - 49 year-olds – 34% agree
  
• 50 - 59 year-olds – 24% agree
  
• 60 years and older – 17% agree

Differences by area are smaller:

Gauteng – 38% agreed that they would be keep the R50

Johannesburg and environs – 40%
Johannesburg excluding Soweto – 38%
Soweto – 33%
East Rand – 46% (the highest overall with the South Rand/Vaal Triangle))
West Rand – 29% (the lowest overall with Bloemfontein)
Vaal Triangle and South Rand – 47% (the highest overall with the East Rand)
Pretoria – 32%
Cape Town – 33%
Durban – 42%
Eastern Cape – 41%
Port Elizabeth – 42%
East London – 40%

Bloemfontein – 28% (the lowest overall with the West Rand)

It is the view of TNS Research Surveys that the availability of pirated goods can only come about if there is a market. The results, which are likely to be under-stated, show that there is a considerable market of at least two million adults. This is turn raises issues about people’s values and morals. There is a view that crime starts with the small things: ex-New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani believed that anti-crime campaigns should start with a crack-down on these small things. The issue is that this is not a small thing to the musicians and artists affected: their livelihood is directly compromised.

The difference in response to the R50.00 question suggests that many people see these two issues probably as quite different.

TNS Research Surveys is currently conducting further research into the values and worldviews of South Africans; these results to be released towards mid-2007.