The use of ad blocking software has risen sharply with online advertising and is recognized as challenging the survival of the ad supported web. However, the effects of ad blocking on consumer behavior have been studied scarcely. This paper uses propensity score matching techniques on a longitudinal survey of 4411 Internet users in Spain to show that ad blocking has a causal positive effect on their number of online purchases. This could be attributed to the positive effects of ad blocking, such as a safer and enhanced navigation. This striking result reinforces the controversial debate of whether current online ads are too bothersome for consumers.

中文翻译：

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广告屏蔽会影响在线购物吗？

随着在线广告的使用，广告拦截软件的使用急剧增加，并被认为挑战了广告支持网络的生存。但是，很少研究广告屏蔽对消费者行为的影响。本文使用倾向得分匹配技术对西班牙的4411个互联网用户进行了纵向调查，结果表明广告屏蔽对他们的在线购买数量产生了因果关系。这可以归因于广告屏蔽的积极效果，例如更安全，更强大的导航。这一惊人的结果加剧了关于当前在线广告是否对消费者来说太麻烦的争议性辩论。