At least 95 per cent of the public don’t trust online ads, while only 2.8 per cent of those surveyed say they trusted adverts received on their smartphones.
The research by Adblock Plus asked over 1,100 people their views of advertising, with a third of people saying that they trusted television advertising.
Till Faida, co-founder of Adblock Plus, a browser add-on to block annoying and intrusive online adverts, said: “The credibility gap that online advertisers have created for themselves is a serious issue and one that will challenge the sustainability of many websites unless it is addressed. Online site owners need to develop new strategies to secure their financial future.
“Firstly, we advise that the utmost care is taken with who they allow to use their websites for advertising. Substandard adverts will reflect badly on the site and damage the credibility and trustworthiness of any wider content.
“Secondly, they should re-asses the intrusiveness of their adverts. The problem is that in the race for advertising clicks, many online sites are killing the long-term sustainability of their advertising revenue stream. The only way forward is a balanced and responsible approach to advertising that allows people to profit from their creative content without irritating users to the point where they take measures to eliminate seeing any adverts.”
Nearly 50 per cent of people in the UK either already use adblocking software or would like to find out how.