Do Moral Beliefs Condition the Impact of Low Self-control on Digital Piracy?

Abstract

ABSTRACT Morality and low self-control can both play critical roles in rule-breaking behaviors. Yet, our understanding of the interplay between morality and low self-control offers only a limited explanation of digital piracy. Using data from a sample of 1,091 South Korean students, we confirm that both morality and low self-control are important predictors of digital piracy. In addition, the current study reveals that morality conditions the relationship between low self-control and digital piracy. The results show that morality enhances the effects of low self-control on digital piracy. Overall, they thus confirm the importance of morality and low self-control as factors in digital piracy, which warrants continued research efforts to understand the interaction between morality and low self-control with respect to this type of rule-breaking behaviors.