UK ad blocker use plateaus

According to the February results of the quarterly study, 22% of UK online adults were using an ad blocker. This has seen a small decline to 21% (in reality, a 0.5% fall from 21.7% to 21.2%). 

It was revealed that a slight increase in usage among women has been more than offset by a decline among men, and that 18-24 year olds remain the most likely demographic to use an ad blocker ( 38%). 

Of those who've downloaded an ad blocker, 22% said they no longer use it, with a lack of trust rising in popularity as a reason to have done so (from 6% to 14% among those who've stopped).

“It’s encouraging to see ad blocking plateauing but it certainly isn’t a sign the industry needs to take its foot off the pedal in terms of moving to a less invasive, lighter and more user-friendly ad experience,” said Guy Phillipson, IAB UK’s CEO.

Findings are based on a weighted, representative sample of 2011 adults aged 18+.