Gen Z has a passion for counterfeit articles

In January, a study by Untold Insights highlighted how the cost of living is negatively impacting the quality of purchases made by the younger generation. Forced to prefer cheaper products, Gen Z and even many Millennials find themselves spending their money on affordable products, i.e. fast fashion and counterfeits, inadvertently harming the environment. EQUIPO's latest data confirmed a trend in a new study on European citizens' perception of intellectual property. Although awareness of the risks and consequences of buying counterfeit products and accessing content from illegal sources is growing, the study also shows that 1 in 3 Europeans (31%) still consider buying counterfeits acceptable due to the high prices of original products. Among younger consumers aged 15-24, this figure rises to 1 in 2.

13% of Europeans say they have intentionally bought counterfeit products in the last 12 months. This figure rises to 26% among 15-24-year-olds, twice the EU average, while it falls to 6% among 55-64-year-olds and below 5% among those 65 and older. Although the risk of negative experiences (substandard products for 27% of people, safety risks for 25%, and penalties for 21%) is a crucial factor that leads consumers to refrain from buying counterfeit products, uncertainty about authenticity is also increasing. Almost 4 in 10 Europeans (39%) doubt that the product they are buying is a fake, and among young people half (52%) express the same doubt. Although the younger generations are the most interested in environmental concerns, the rising cost of living and the rising prices of items are driving them to make choices that are far from their civic consciousness.