What do people do first when an online ad appears?
46%
46% of consumers usually ignore an online ad without reading it.
n = 864 adults in the US and UK who had seen online advertising in the past month · Fielded September 2026 · Cherry Data Signals
Breakdown
Figures are rounded and may not total exactly 100%.
What it means
Only 12% read or watch an ad because the opening catches their attention or they recognize the brand.
Methodology
- Sample
- 864
- Population
- adults in the US and UK who had seen online advertising in the past month
- Country
- United States and United Kingdom
- Fielded
- September 2026
- Research by
- Cherry Data Signals
- Study
- Why Consumers Ignore Online Ads
Cite this statistic
Cherry Data Signals (September 2026). "What do people do first when an online ad appears?" Survey of 864 adults in the US and UK who had seen online advertising in the past month, United States and United Kingdom. https://cherrysignals.com/statistics/what-people-do-first-when-an-online-ad-appears
Free to reproduce with attribution to Cherry Data Signals and a link to this page.
Related statistics
- What makes people pay attention to an online ad?36%
- Which advertising habit annoys consumers most?34%
- Which advertising claims make consumers most skeptical?32%
- Which type of evidence most strengthens an ad's claim?25%
- How often do ads differ from the offer after a click?70%
- How does repeatedly seeing the same ad affect brand opinion?73%
- Which advertising approach do consumers prefer for a product they have never bought?31%
- How many consumers have rejected a brand because of its advertising?55%
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