Younger Australians are more likely to rationalize stealing, change price tags and deliberately abuse self -service, research shows.
More than one-on-four shoppers believe that theft in the retail trade in some forms is justified, according to a Monash University study under 1,047 Australian adults performed in June and released on Monday.
Examples include taking an item without paying for it (27 percent), changing price tags on products (30 percent), not scanning some items at self -checkout (32 percent) and scan items as cheaper products (36 percent).
The vast majority (85 percent to 89 percent) acknowledged that the actions were illegal, but there was a clear generation gorge over their justification.
Nine out of 10 shoppers aged 55 and older said that taking an item without paying was not justified at all, compared to 46 percent among those aged 18 to 34.
There were similar gorges for changing price tags and deliberately abusing the self -service.
The main author of the study said that the number of Australians that considered a form of theft of stores as justified grew.
“These findings are worrying because, although most people acknowledge that such behavior is illegal, there is a growing acceptance of them in practice,” says Stephanie Atto, research and strategy director at the Australian consumer and retail studies of Monash Business School.
Consumers also said that it was justified to mislead shop assistants about unused items (34 percent), write negative assessments for compensation (40 percent) and silence when an invoice was calculated in their favor (60 percent).
Despite increased media attention for abuse in retail environments, three of the four respondents said they felt very safe or safe in shopping centers.
Most shoppers did not see any of the behavior, but some witnessed verbal abuse (14 percent), physical violence (6 percent) and theft (5 percent).
Theft of the retail trade rose by 27.6 percent in Victoria during the year until June and there were 595,660 victims of theft National, a high of 21 years.
The researchers warned that rising retail crime threatened to compensate for recent profit in trade and consumer confidence.
“Retail crime is a shared problem that requires a united approach, technology, stronger communication and consistent legal frameworks for retailers, law enforcement and government agencies,” said Atto.
NSW adopted laws in 2023 to strengthen fines for people who attack retailers.
The Victorian government has promised similar changes, with legislation expected before the State Parliament later in 2025.
The greater acceptance of antisocial behavior was “not surprisingly” at a time of considerable price increases and pressure from the costs of living, shops, distributive and allied employee association National Secretary Gerard Dwyer.
The trade union leader said that the investigation was a reminder that improved equity, in particular intergenerational equity, must be the top priority for policy and decision makers.
“We note that governments have responded throughout the country to the approaches of the SDA by upgrading both penalties and crimes,” he said.
“It is high time for the Victorian government to comply with its promise of May last year to do the same and make the legislation possible without further delay.”
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