Most people don't think dodgy box owners should be prosecuted, as 14pc admit to owning one
Meanwhile, 18pc of Irish people think the box owners should be prosecuted, while 18pc were not sure.
The poll, conducted by the Sunday Independent/Ireland Thinks on Friday, July 4, asked more than 1,500 people three questions about the ownership of a 'dodgy box'.
A 'dodgy box' is an illegal TV device that lets users watch premium channels for free without a subscription.
The majority of people in Ireland don't own a 'dodgy box' as more than three in four (76pc) people answered 'no' when asked whether they own this device.
Meanwhile, 14pc of people in Ireland own a 'dodgy box' and 10pc said they prefer not to say.
Almost half of the people (49pc) said they would not consider getting a 'dodgy box' while 16pc said they are not sure.
However, 35pc said they would consider getting it, with this figure including respondents who already own a box.
Last month, Sky Ireland warned up to 400,000 dodgy-box users of 'consequences' if caught streaming sport or films using the illegal devices.
The broadcaster is also set to use private investigators to monitor WhatsApp chats to detect who is buying dodgy boxes, and is also considering civil action against individual users for the first time.
However, the Data Protection Commissioner (DPC) will meet the broadcaster to discuss whether such methods are legal according to GDPR privacy law.
The streaming services are commonly sold through WhatsApp groups and other online discussion forums, where details of local dealers are provided.
In Ireland, using a dodgy box to stream pirated content is an offence under the Copyright Act, punishable by up to five years in prison or a fine of up to €127,000.
However, gardaí have consistently declined to pursue individual consumers of dodgy boxes, reserving action instead for commercial operators and distributors of the services.
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