• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, July 1, 2024

Publishers and advertisers must both be feeling the impact of ad blockers. Many readers are using them with little concern for how they hurt a publication’s revenue model, judging by Ad Blocker Adoption: Majority of Americans Block Ads—Do They Feel Bad About It?”, a study by All About Cookies, working with Pollfish. 

Of the consumers polled, 67% have skipped a video or stopped using a website because of ads. What’s more, 42% have paid for premium subscriptions to a site or a streaming service to avoid ads.

And, 52% feel no remorse at all in blocking ads on a small business site that relies on ad revenue. 

In general, 93% are familiar with ad blockers, but less than 20% feel they are totally effective.

Why do people use a blockers? They cite these reasons:  

• To see fewer ads—71%
• To protect against malware or viruses—59% 
• To protect my privacy online—54%
• To have websites load faster—43%
• To get to the content I want to view faster—39%
• Easier website navigation—28%
• To save data and battery life—20% 

Will they turn their ad blockers off if a site requests it? Only sometimes: 

• Never---20%
• Rarely—44%
• About half the time—19%
• Most of the time—16% 
• Every time—5% 

All About Cookies surveyed 1,000 U.S. consumers in May 2024 via Pollfish.