A new survey from Norway reveals that 50% of young people under 30 believe that pirating content is an acceptable way to save money. The survey, conducted by Ipsos, highlights that the high cost of streaming services is a key driver behind this attitude. Links between piracy and organized crime or malware, appear to be of less concern.

Most people know that pirating movies, live sports, and music is against the law. Despite this awareness, millions do so daily.

Norway is no exception. The country offers consumers plenty of legal options, including many streaming platforms. However, that might actually be part of the problem.

Those who want the full spectrum of streaming options, including Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, Max, Apple TV, SkyShowtime, Viaplay, Discovery+, and many others, need deep pockets. In many cases, people subscribe to a selection instead, while pirating on the side.

This week, the Norwegian government released the results of a new Ipsos survey that looks at the public’s attitude toward piracy. These findings show that unauthorized streaming and downloading is broadly accepted, particularly among younger people.

Expensive Streaming Options Justify Piracy

The survey, which involved 1,411 respondents aged 15 and above, shows that 32% agree that is it okay to use pirate sites and services to save money. Among those under 30 years old, half find it acceptable to pirate for cost reasons.

Survey results (translated)

When asked specifically whether it’s okay to pirate because legal services are too expensive, acceptance rates are even higher. This is a disturbing trend for rightsholders and various campaigns that have tried to curb piracy in recent years.

While the price of streaming services is seen as a problem, the majority of respondents do pay for legal access. In total, 61% paid for streaming services over the past year. This also applies to young people under 30, of which 64% paid for access.

These figures confirm that Norwegians are not opposed to paying for content but with over a dozen paid options, paying for everything is not seen as viable for all.

Organized Crime?

One of the strategies used to dissuade pirates is the highlighting of negative consequences. Aside from entertainment industry losses, these include potential malware and security threats, as well as the notion that pirate services can be associated with organized crime.

Interestingly, roughly two-thirds of all respondents say that they have considered the potential negative consequences of using pirate sites and services but less than half (47%) agree that piracy supports organized crime.

The organized crime link is most accepted by older Norwegians. However, many respondents say they simply don’t know enough about a possible link between piracy and organized crime, as 24% answered “I don’t know”.

Pirates Would Stop If…

Malware threats and links to organized crime are not of particular concern to pirates. Of those who knowingly pirated in the past year, 7% said that knowing more about the links with organized crime could make them stop, while 18% said that the risk of malware or fraud could deter them.

Instead of focusing on external threats and concerns, legal streaming platforms themselves could make the most progress by changing their pricing.

Among all self-proclaimed Norwegian pirates, the most common reasons to stop were more affordable legal streaming services (41%) and the availability of a broader range of content per service (35%).

All in all, the survey results show that piracy remains prevalent in Norway. While it will be impossible to eradicate completely, these findings indicate that the entertainment industries can make most progress by focusing on the affordability and availability of legal services.