Australians now have a more relaxed attitude towards retail theft, with one in four consumers thinking shoplifting is acceptable to some degree, a new study found.

Monash University’s Consumer Deviance Spotlight report, which surveyed 1047 Australian shoppers aged 18 years and older, revealed that retail theft was increasingly viewed as justifiable to some degree. 

This includes specific behaviours like shoplifting (27 per cent), changing price tags on products (30 per cent), not scanning some items when using self-checkout terminals (32 per cent), and scanning items as cheaper items when using self-checkout terminals (36 per cent). 

While some shoppers consider these forms of theft acceptable, the vast majority (85-89 per cent) still acknowledged they were illegal.

The report also pointed out the big gap between answers from different age groups. Up to 93 per cent of consumers aged 55 years and older said shoplifting was not at all justifiable. In contrast, only 46 per cent of people aged 18-34 shared a similar opinion, while the remaining 54 per cent believed the action was okay to some degree.

“What we are seeing is that a growing number of Australian shoppers, particularly younger people, consider some form of retail theft to be justifiable,” said Stephanie Atto, lead author of the report.

“These findings are concerning because while most people acknowledge such behaviours are illegal, there is a growing acceptance of them in practice.”

Apart from theft, the research also found an increasing acceptance of other deviant behaviour in retail settings. 

About 34 per cent of the respondents said it was justifiable to mislead shop assistants about unpriced items, while 40 per cent thought it was okay to write negative reviews for compensation. Some 60 per cent believed it was acceptable to stay silent when a bill was miscalculated in their favour.

“Shoppers reported increased acceptance of lying about a child’s age to get a cheaper price, creating multiple email accounts to redeem a one-time offer, and claiming a lower price at a competitor to secure a discount,” added Atto.

Recent ABS data showed that 595,660 victims of theft were recorded nationwide last year, a 6 per cent increase on the previous year and the highest in 21 years. Almost half of all incidents occurred in retail settings.

Although retail trade and consumer confidence have steadily improved this year, the researchers warn that rising retail crime threatens to offset these gains.

“Retail crime is a shared problem that requires a united approach, integrating technology, stronger communication and consistent legal frameworks across retailers, law enforcement and government bodies,” Atto said.

 “While retail crime in Australia has escalated in recent years, these collective efforts represent important steps towards addressing the problem,” she added.

• This story was originally published on Inside Small Business.