April 4, 2016 According to a survey by European marketing research and technology company AudienceProject, 36% of internet users in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden used an ad blocker as of February 2016. The ad blocking user rate was highest in Sweden, at 39% of respondents, followed by Denmark (37%). Norway and Finland were tied at 34% each. Unsurprisingly, the youngest respondents in AudienceProject’s study—those ages 15 to 25—were the most likely to use an ad blocker. Sweden again led the pack at 59% of internet users in that age group, followed by Denmark (55%), Finland (53%) and Norway (49%). Looking at the region overall, 54% of 15- to 25-year-old internet users said they used ad blocking software in February. AudienceProject’s research also showed that ad blocking use was most common on a computer. At least one-quarter of respondents in each Nordic country said they used an ad blocker on a desktop or laptop, with this share rising to 34% among internet users in Sweden. In all, three in 10 internet users in the Nordic region used an ad blocker on a computer in February, compared with 9% for tablets and 8% for mobile phones.
eMarketer reports that a local survey shows ad-blockers have become increasingly popular in Nordic countries. The survey, conducted by AudienceProject, showed that in February an average of 36% of internet users in Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland used an ad-blocker; led by 54% of users in the 15-25 year old age group. In addition, according to the study, which was carried out among 1,000 people across Europe, ad blocking is becoming more common in countries like Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Sweden.