ONLY about one in three Slovaks hold a markedly negative attitude to buying imitation branded goods and only a similar share say they would never buy this kind of fake product. But most Slovaks said they are slightly inclined to purchase fake goods in the future and a majority said they would not mind wearing something ‘not genuine’ as long as people around them were not aware of it. These are the results from an online survey conducted in November by GfK Slovakia among a sample of 765 respondents.
A large majority of those surveyed (81 percent) declared that they have friends and acquaintances wearing or owning products which are imitations of genuine brands. The five most frequent categories of fake goods include t-shirts, sweaters, sportswear and sport footwear, handbags and jeans.
”Apparently, the phenomenon of purchasing fake goods has made itself at home in Slovakia and goes across the board through all socio-demographic groups,” said Martin Mravec, managing director of GfK Slovakia. “International organisations estimate that this industry currently accounts for as much as 5 percent of global trade."
