One-quarter of Australians use an adblocker, says IAB Australia research
A quarter of online Australians use an adblocker, according to new research from IAB Australia.
New IAB Australia research reveals 25% of Australians currently use adblocking technology
The ‘Ad Blocking in Australia’ research, which was conducted by Pureprofile for IAB Australia, found 25% of online Australians currently use the technology, down from 27% in October 2016.
The decline in adblocker usage came despite an increase in awareness of the technology up from 59% to 63% of Australians.
Desktops and laptops remain the preferred device to install adblockers at 21% with just 5% of Australians installing ad blockers on smartphones.
The research found blocked content remains the key driver for turning off an ad blocker. Of the 71% of people to be asked by a website to turn off their adblocker, 50% have turned off the technology for that site, 25% have whitelisted the site, while 5% have deleted an ad blocker as a result.
Viruses are the primary driver for installing an ad blocker, although people also have concerns over the quantity and intrusive nature of digital ad formats.
Vijay Solanki, CEO of IAB Australia, said, “Whilst it is positive news that the use of ad blocking appears to be stablising in Australia, it is imperative that the advertising industry continues to double down on our efforts to evolve and improve the ad experience for consumers.”
“As mobile emerges as the channel of choice for many consumers, it will be key to ensure that mobile advertising respects the close relationship that a consumer has with their mobile phones and adheres to the LEAN principles of providing lighter, relevant and higher quality advertising experiences.”
The research follows similar findings by eMarketer in the UK which revealed one-fifth (20.9%) of UK internet users will use adblocking software this year.