The general perception about pirating is done by younger people. The idea being is that they do not have the means to afford the content. This population group tends to be more attuned to technology and has more time to go through the trouble of pirating it.

A recent study with results shown on torrentfreak.com seems to break that wide open:

• 47% of those who pirate eBooks are within the 30-44 year old bracket;
• 70% have post secondary; and
• 65% make over 60,000$ a year.

In other words, people who are most likely capable of paying for an eBook are those who pirate it.

Now they also state that roughly 25% of pirating is essentially swapping books with friends. This could be a carry over from the print world, were friends/family would often swap books instead of each buying their own copy.

While this article does not talk about, the age bracket may have something to do with people getting older. In the 2000s a lot of people were pirating games, music and other content because they could not afford it. Now they are older and have enough money to afford buying the content, however the habit is ingrained. Its seen as a norm with no ethical or moral ramifications attached to it.