Research shows religious beliefs influence whether people use pirated content

The teaching 'Thou shalt not steal' is common to many religions, yet some religious believers also pirate music and software. Software piracy is estimated to cost businesses $46 billion (approximately 7.11 trillion yen) annually, posing a serious economic and ethical problem. A research paper by a team of researchers from Pittsburgh State University, Kansas State University, and Oklahoma State University pointed out that 'rather than reducing piracy, religion may actually be used as an excuse under certain conditions.'

'Software Piracy: Effects of Neutralization and Religiosity' by David Sikolia, Gabriel Bahr et al.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/jsais/vol12/iss2/1/

Some Pirates Use Religion as an Excuse, For Others It's a Moral Barrier * TorrentFreak
https://torrentfreak.com/some-pirates-use-religion-as-an-excuse-for-others-its-a-moral-barrier/

The research team noted that religious attitudes branch off in two directions. People who internalize religion as a way of life and reflect it in their everyday ethical decisions tend to strongly shun piracy. On the other hand, people who use religion for its social benefits, such as belonging to a community and feeling safe, are relatively tolerant of piracy. The research team calls the former 'intrinsic religiosity' and the latter 'extrinsic religiosity,' and argues that they act in significantly different directions.

The survey was based on data from 338 valid responses collected from 381 undergraduate business students at a Midwestern university. To encourage respondents to honestly report on socially undesirable behaviors like piracy, the research team presented a fictional story about a fictitious character named 'Brandon' who illegally copies software. They asked, 'How likely is it that you would do the same thing as Brandon?'

The results showed that, as hypothesized, religious duality has opposite effects on the intention to pirate. First, the higher the 'intrinsic religiosity,' the lower the intention to pirate. This suggests that internalized moral values act as a strong 'moral barrier,' or brake, against piracy.

However, surprisingly, the opposite result was found: the higher the 'extrinsic religiosity,' the more likely people were to pirate. This means that people who are religiously motivated by practical reasons are more likely to accept piracy in some way.

To understand why extrinsic religiosity promotes piracy, the research team focused on the 'justification (neutralization) techniques' used to neutralize feelings of guilt. Their analysis revealed that the following three in particular functioned as 'excuses' that significantly increased piracy intentions:

Condemn the Condemners
They justify their own actions by criticizing the people who are criticizing them (companies or laws), saying things like, 'Software companies are making excessive profits' or 'Copyright law itself is unfair.'

Appeal to Higher Loyalties
They prioritize loyalty to their immediate group over laws and social norms, such as 'to help a friend' or 'to share information within the community.'

・Metaphor of the Ledger
They think that since they 'study seriously' and 'usually purchase legitimate software,' it should be okay to occasionally use pirated software.

According to the research team, people with high levels of extrinsic religiosity are more likely to use these justification techniques, pointing out the danger that religious activity could function as a 'moral excuse.'

'This study found that intrinsic religiosity acts as a clear deterrent, while extrinsic religiosity, combined with neutralization techniques, can make it easier to justify piracy. The research team suggests that religious organizations could play a role in promoting digital ethics and intellectual property in their communities in future research.'