As the proliferation of ad blocking continues to rise at an astounding rate, Gladly explored ad blocking users’ behavior. This report specifically focuses on users’ whitelisting behavior, their reaction to publishers’ anti-ad blocking efforts, and their general sentiments about online advertising.

1. 2016REPORTOn Ad Blocking Behavior
As the proliferation of ad blocking continues to rise at
an astounding rate, Gladly explored ad blocking
users’ behavior. This report specifically focuses on
users’ whitelisting behavior, their reaction to publish-
ers’ anti-ad blocking efforts, and their general
sentiments about online advertising.
The report is compiled from a combination of
anonymized data from Gladly’s ad blocker, Good-
block, and an internal, randomized survey of 243
users. By focusing on those driving the rise of ad
blocking, the report’s findings aim to advance the
conversations within the online advertising industry
by shifting the focus on what users expect from their
online experience.

2. Ad blocker users frequently whitelist websites
What is the
main reason
you downloaded
an ad blocker?
The majority ( 77% ) of Goodblock users
have whitelisted (manually disabled
ad blocking) for one or more website.
How Many Websites do
Ad Blocker Users Whitelist?
websites
10+
websites
5-9 websites
1-4
77%
23%
Whitelisted a site No whitelisting
59%
15%
26%
To speed
up my web
browsing
26%21.8%
I hate all advertising
and never want to
see another ad
26%16%
I have
concerns about
data privacy
26%2.9%
A few sites
had particularly
annoying ads
26%51%
A friend
told me to
26%8.2%
Key findings
77% of Goodblock users
turn their ad blocker off
for at least one website
Of those whitelisting users, the majority
are only whitelisting a few select
websites (59% between 1 and 4 sites)
The majority (51%) of users are downloading
an ad blocker to block ads on a few annoying
sites as opposed to eliminating all advertising

3. Users are likely to whitelist sites that ask
What is the main reason
you turn off ad blocking
on a site?
The Most Whitelisted
Websites on Goodblock
The ads on the
site are useful
to me
I want to support
the website by
viewing ads
The website doesn’t
work unless ad
blocking is off
58.5%
41%
0.5%
1. forbes.com
2. youtube.com
3. kisscartoon.me
4. kissanime.to
5. adf.ly
6. wired.com
7. cbs.com
8. hulu.com
9. agar.io
10. facebook.com
11. 8tracks.com
12. swabucks.com
13. cwtv.com
14. freerice.com
15. reddit.com
16. nexusmods.com
17. twitch.tv
18. pornhub.com
19. channel4.com
20. netflix.com
% of Users That WhitelistedWebsite
(astericks indicate sites that have recently changed their experience for ad blocker users away from forced whitelisting)
19.22%
13.49%
12.25%
10.99%
8.60%
7.10%
5.53%
4.68%
3.86%
2.84%
2.65%
2.57%
2.57%
2.46%
2.42%
2.22%
2.17%
2.06%
1.94%
1.81%
Forced*
None
Forced
Forced
Appeal
Forced*
Forced
Forced
Appeal
None
Appeal
Appeal
Forced*
Appeal
None
Appeal
None
Appeal
Forced
None
Key findings
The most whitelisted websites show a clear advantage
for those sites that directly appeal to ad blocking users
Most users are whitelisting to help
support the websites (59%)

4. Meh, I know they need the
ad revenue, so I help them
out.
26%56.8%
How people react to whitelist appeals
Which best describes
how you feel about sites
that force whitelisting
to view the content?
Angry, I’m much less likely
to use their site. 26%31.3%
Frustrated, I’d rather just
pay to visit the website
than see ads.
26%3.3%
Content, I don’t
mind ads. 26%8.6%
What do you do when
you encounter a site that
forces you to turn off
ad blocking?
I refuse to visit
that site.
26%11.5%
Depending on how much
I like the site, I will disable
my ad blocker.
26%67.7%
I visit the site through
a different browser. 26%2.4%
I always disable my
ad blocker. 26%15.8%
Key findings
In general, users will cave to
forced whitelisting (65%)
However, forced whitelisting may
anger a large portion of users (31%)
Very few people would rather pay
for content than see ads (3%)

5. A glance into the future
How do you feel about advertising?
How guilty do you
feel about blocking
ads?
I hate all
advertising,
period
Some online ads are
interesting, but there
are just too many
I dislike advertising, but
I know websites need the
money so I am conflicted
I genuinely enjoy
online ads and find
them helpful
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
52.3%
42%
4.9% 0.8%
No guilt
23%
Some guilt
77%
Key findings
Ad blocking users are split between those who dislike ads but put up with them to support
publishers (52%), and users who don’t dislike ads but are annoyed by the quantity (42%)
The majority of ad blocker users feel
some guilt about blocking ads (77%)

6. Learn More About Us:
2016
On Ad Blocking Behavior
REPORT
http://gladly.io