Meet The Blockers: A Quantitative Analysis of Ad Blocker Usage

Abstract

This study seeks to ascertain whether or not previous research on ad annoyance and ad avoidance in traditional media can be applied to ad blocker usage. Although there is extensive research on the negative reactions people have to advertising, viewer annoyance with advertising and viewer avoidance of advertising, scholarly research on ad blocking is quite limited. The researcher explored 3 hypotheses: (H1) Ad blocker use will be highest among younger people, males, and people on the higher end of the socioeconomic spectrum; (H2) greater frequency of Internet use will be positively correlated to ad blocker usage;

(H3) people who report a higher level of annoyance with Internet advertising will be more likely to use ad blockers. Using a multiple regression analysis of a sample of Internet users from the United States and the United Kingdom (N = 3997) support for the hypotheses was mixed, suggesting that some, but not all, of what ad annoyance and avoidance research, as well as what logic would suggest, is readily applicable to ad blocking.