A June survey of more than 535 consumer participants by Express Legal Funding, conducted with the help of SurveyMonkey, reveals some surprising statistics about shoplifting, including that more than 40% of American adults report having stolen merchandise from a store before.
For example, more Android phone users (17%) report they will likely shoplift within the next two years, while only 13% of iPhone users said they were likely to. Other insights from the survey:
Overall prevalence
- 40% of respondents admitted to having shoplifted at least once, indicating that shoplifting is a relatively common behavior among Americans.
- 66% of respondents in all age groups know someone who has shoplifted before, indicating that this behavior is widespread across different generations.
Gender Differences
- Women shoplift more than men. 43% of women respondents reported prior shoplifting, while only 37% of men said they shoplifted before.
- Women are consistently more likely than men to know someone who has shoplifted, with a difference of roughly 10% in each region.
Age Trends
- The likelihood of shoplifting decreases with age, with the 18-24 age group reporting the highest likelihood of shoplifting in the next two years, while the 55+ group shows the lowest.
Motivations
- Financial hardship was the most prevalent and consistently cited primary reason for shoplifting across all demographics (52% overall).
- Seeking a high or thrill from stealing was reported as the main factor for shoplifting by 19% of the respondents.
Deterrents
- The most commonly cited reason for hesitation towards retail theft across all regions is the belief that shoplifting is morally wrong or against their religion (70%), followed by the fear of getting in trouble with the police.
