Source: Statista

At first glance, tough love seems to be the way forward for online media to get users to turn off their ad blockers. 58 percent of respondents in a Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism (RISJ) poll said that they turned off their ad-blocker, at least temporarily, if there was no other way to view the website or content. But explaining to users that the ad money is needed to fund the website can get publishers places too. 26 percent of users said they switched off the blocker when notified the website depended on the ad funds.

The good news is that there are ways to get users to comply with the rules of indirect funding. However, this doesn’t mean that users will start loving ads because they were in some way coerced (or kindly asked) to turn off their ad blockers. Then again, 43 percent of respondents said they switched off their blockers for particular news sites, meaning that news media could profit from investing in a relationship with users. It seems, some users surf with an ad-shield by default, but are willing to let down their guard if the targeted website is trusted.

This chart was first published by our partner website FIPP.