It takes a lot of cheating to harm honest students (unless graded on a curve). The real problem with cheating is that you don't learn.
Cheating is a symptom of something worse. Viewing studies as a means to get a diploma, rather than a means to get an education.
This is a deep issue, that stems from things like using the threat of failing a test to get people to engage.
The educational system presents itself as a bunch of hoops to jump through to get a successful life. Parents tend to see it the same way. Society often does aswell.
This ruins a lot of the intrinsic value of education.
The problem is, a lot of what you learn in university is shit you won't need for at least half a decade in your actual career and by the time you could need it you'd have forgotten it anyways.
Universities used to be the place where the best brains of the country studied and advanced science itself afterwards. Nowadays, with university r&d budgets slashed and those that remain in r&d being forced to waste half their time chasing grants and another quarter in administrative bullcrap, it's a place to weed out people with adhd or otherwise disadvantaged so employers can pick up the "creme de la creme" without violating a ton of anti discrimination law or the risk of hiring a dud. It's obvious when large companies require a BSc for an accountant or other paper pushers of all things.
Students know this and optimize accordingly - as usual, when something becomes a KPI it becomes useless.
