Study Finds Men Pirate Sports Content More Than Women, Anti-Piracy Messaging May Backfire
A study by the University of Portsmouth has shed light on gender differences in digital piracy, focusing on live sports content. The research found that men pirate sports content more than women and that current anti-piracy messaging may be counterproductive.
The study revealed that 21% of men's live sports content consumption is pirated, compared to just 7% for music and 3.5% for women overall. Interestingly, attempts to curb piracy by showing people the prevalence of the activity often increased men's intentions to pirate, a phenomenon known as 'reactance'.
The research team explored two social influences to understand these gender differences: perceived social risk and a social norms intervention. They found that men who worried piracy might harm their social security were less likely to pirate live sports. This suggests that highlighting reputational costs could be an effective deterrent for men.
The University of Portsmouth study concludes that anti-piracy messaging should focus on reputational costs rather than legality to effectively deter men from pirating live sports content. The researchers warn that normalising piracy, even unintentionally, can legitimise men's behaviour, particularly in male-dominated environments like sports where status is highly valued.
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