The research, conducted by YouGov in July, assessed behaviours and attitudes relating to piracy and copyright and found that 44% of 18-29 year-olds and 28% of 30-50 year-olds possessed pirated or fake goods, as compared to only 17% of over 50s.
When asked to rate the acceptability of certain actions (where zero is totally unacceptable and 10 is totally acceptable), 18-29 year olds gave a mean acceptability rating of 5.03 for downloading of material from pirate web sites. This compared to a rating of 4 for buying counterfeit goods and 0.68 for shoplifting from a small independent shop.
Only 8% of 18-29 year olds thought family and friends would definitely disapprove of them for acquiring pirated goods. This compared with 15% for 30-50 year olds and 25% for over 50s.
According to the BSA, the survey shows not only that piracy is a problem across UK society in general, but it also reveals the emergence of a pirate generation that is more able to justify buying pirated goods and less likely to consider copyright law before doing so. Among the most commonly pirated items were software, CDs and DVDs.
"It is of particular concern that respect of copyright seems to be falling steadily, generation by generation, and piracy is becoming so ubiquitous at work and play," said Siobhan Carroll, Regional Manager Northern Europe, BSA.
The survey of 2,180 people across the UK found that 28% of 18-29 year olds did not consider copyright law at all before buying pirated or fake goods, and 45% of all respondents believed that a fine equal to double or more the value of the legal equivalent was required to deter them from buying pirated goods.
This, says the BSA, shows the need for better education on the importance of intellectual property and for updating the deterrents available for rights holders.