Look Who’s Using Adblockers

Look Who’s Using Adblockers – A Profile of Technology Users throughout the US, UK, France, Brazil, and China

Stop the ads!

So say a substantial number of tech users. A high percentage are actively using adblockers. More chillingly to advertisers, the users blocking ads are affluent, big spenders, younger, active shoppers, and skew in many other ways towards the most-desirable segments.

In our most recent wave of the MetaFacts Technology User Profile survey, we found that in the US, UK, and France, nearly one-in-three connected adults use an adblocker on at least one of their tech devices. Adblocking is much higher in China and Brazil, at 49% and 58%, respectively.

In each country, the use of ad-blocking across multiple devices follows a similar pattern, with the PC having the highest use, Smartphones less, and Tablets having the lowest usage.

Also, Notebook PCs have higher blocking levels than Desktops, and Home PCs more so than Work PCs.

Within the technology and media industry, there is ongoing controversy about adblocking. Advertisers claim losses from not being able to deliver to the intended viewer. Meanwhile, a substantial and growing number of users differ – actively using adblocking for a faster and cleaner experience with less distraction or annoyance.

Who are these ad-avoiders?

Are the adblocking users worth all the effort advertising groups such as the IAB are going through? Is it worth it for advertisers to focus on these user’s needs, to rebuild value for ads and restore confidence and trust?

Yes, the adblocking users are worth it. They’re bigger spenders. In the US, they spend 12% more than average connected adults – $6,948 per year on tech devices and services. This pattern is similar in other countries.

They’re the most-active online shoppers – with the broadest range of shopping activities, an index of 156 above the national average of 36% with that many shopping activities.

The range of shopping activities is broader among adblocking users, with indexes substantially stronger than among average connected adults. Similarly, they are more active with entertainment activities as well as reading news and books.

They’re younger – with 21% being age 18-24 and 28% age 25-34. 57% are Millennial Adults, age 18-38. A higher-than-average share are students – 8.3% compared to the 5.5% share of the national population of Connected Adults. They also live in larger households.

Looking ahead, this phenomenon spells an ongoing challenge for advertisers. The most highly-prized big spenders are the most averse and active avoiders. Meanwhile, as tech users claim their power and increasingly find ways to have their tech devices and experiences commercial-free, private, personal, and responsive, they’re likely to continue or even increase this sentiment. This will further exacerbate the advertiser’s challenges.

In the near-term, MetaFacts expects users to continue and even expand their use of ad blocking software and browser settings. Users will continue to demand the speed, safety, privacy, and convenience they treasure, whether it be on one or many devices. Meanwhile, several key advertisers and publishers will continue their experiments with hardline, paywall, or shame-based tactics, while others will seek to earn access to whitelists. Yet other enlightened ones will seek to better understand and address what’s causing users to block ads in the first place. This latter approach may yet stem the widening sentiment against what users feel is over-commercial, risky, or annoying.

Background

This TUPdate includes a complimentary brief summary from a special MetaFacts Profile report – Look Who’s Using AdBlockers – a Profile of Technology Users throughout the US, UK, France, Brazil, and China. The results are based on a multi-country survey of over 10,000 representative respondents conducted by MetaFacts. The report spans 125 pages including supporting tables, and is available for license. Current TUP subscribers can obtain the report and supporting datasets at a substantial discount. To license the full report, contact MetaFacts.

Summary of Contents

• Demographics – Consumer and Household
  • Consumer: Age, Gender, Ethnicity (US), Educational Attainment, Marital Status, Employment Status, Employment Role, Industry, Segment
  • Household: Size of Household, Household Income, Household Composition, Presence of Children, Region/States (US)

• Major sites recently visited
  • Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Bing, Pinterest, Instagram, LinkedIn, G+/Google Plus, Skype,
    AOL , SnapChat, Tumblr, Windows Live, Reddit, WhatsApp, Baidu (百度), TaoBao (淘宝),
    Tmall (天猫), Leboncoin, BBC.co.uk, Sina.com.cn (新浪), Mercadolibre, Orange.fr, Weibo (微博), Globo, Sohu (搜狐), Qq (Tencent), 360.cn, Hao123, Uol.com.br, Tianya.cn (天涯), Viber, Imgur, Others
• Shopping/Purchase Activities
  • Breadth of Shopping Activities, Type of Device for Broadest Number of Shopping Activities, Primary Device Type, Compare products/prices while in store, Shop for products to buy online, Shop for products to buy in-person at a retail store, Download free apps/Software, Post a comment or review about a product, service, restaurant, etc., Like/Recommend/Share/+1 a product on a web page, Purchase consumer services/products, Download paid apps/Software, Online banking, Redeem a coupon/daily deal, Small purchase in person (gas, coffee, etc.)
• Entertainment Activities
  • Breadth of Entertainment Activities, Type of Device for Broadest Number of Entertainment Activities, Primary Device Type, Play a game, Watch videos/movies, Listen to streaming audio/Internet radio/podcast, Listen to music on this device, not on Internet, Watch television, Read a book, Download music, Hobbies, Listen to streaming music (e.g. Pandora, Spotify)
• Information/Search Activities
  • Breadth of Information/Search Activities, Type of Device for Broadest Number of Information/Search Activities, Primary Device Type, Check sports scores, news, movie times, and/or the weather, Search-other personal issues, Search-other work issues, Search on health, Read a magazine, newspaper, or periodical, Search on work finance/loans/investing/real estate, Search on personal finance/loans/investing/real estate
• Tech Spending
  • Annual spending on technology devices and services, Annual spending on tech devices, Purchases of Smartphones/Basic phones, Purchases of Personal Computers: Hardware & software, Purchases of Peripherals: Ext. hard drives, scanners, speakers, keyboards, Purchases of Printers: Hardware & software, Purchases of Cameras: Digital or film, Purchases of Consumer Electronics: TVs, Game consoles, GPS, Purchases of Handhelds: MP3 players, e-Book readers, Purchases of Internet equipment: Routers, modems, Annual spending for Smartphones/Basic phones: calls, content, services, Annual spending for PC: Installation, extended warranty, Annual spending for Printers: Ink, toner, paper, Annual spending for Cameras: Retail/online printing, Annual spending for Consumer Electronics: Paid TV, video on demand, online games, packaged/rented movies, Annual spending for Handhelds: Content, music, eBooks, Annual spending for Internet: Internet connection service, VoIP, online file backup

Source

These results are based on the most recent wave of Technology User Profile. More can be found in the full set of deliverables. The large-scale survey has been conducted continuously since 1983, documenting and detailing the full scope of technology adoption and use.
For this analysis, MetaFacts is sharing a portion of the answers to selected survey questions: specifically focusing on the use of adblockers, and selected key attributes to profile these users. The full TUP service includes much more. The TUP survey gathers comprehensive details about the active usage of many consumer electronics products, including Tablets, Printers, Smartphones, Basic cell phones, Game Consoles, and many other connected devices. The survey-based research details what people do with their devices, where they spend their technology dollars, and how often they update (or don’t update) their technology products.

Technology companies who want to know more about their current or future customers can contact MetaFacts to learn how to subscribe to the rich resources of Technology User Profile.

For more information or to license the full report, contact MetaFacts.