Advertisement on YouTube: Attitudes and Avoidance Behaviors

Abstract

The objectives of the research are to study consumers’ attitude toward advertising and advertising avoidance behavior on YouTube, to study the difference between their demographic profile and attitude toward advertising and advertising avoidance behavior on YouTube, and to study the relationship between such attitude and advertising avoidance behavior. The study was conducted using a survey quantitative research design.  The population consists of 305 YouTube users, aged between 18 and 60 years, selected by volunteer sampling.  Data, collected during 1-30 June 2021 by online questionnaire on social media, are analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The finding shows that the samples’ attitude toward advertising on YouTube is at a moderate level, with the highest score found in in-feed video ads and lowest in non-skippable in-stream ads. The samples’ advertising avoidance behavior on YouTube is also at a moderate level, with the highest score found in non-skippable in-stream ads and lowest in in-feed video ads. The testing of the hypothesis reveals that the consumers’ demographic profile, i.e. sex, age and personal monthly income, significantly accounts for their attitude toward advertising and advertising avoidance behavior on YouTube. In addition, it is found that their attitude toward advertising on YouTube is negatively related to their advertising avoidance behavior on YouTube in a significant manner or those with a positive attitude toward advertising on YouTube show a lower rate of advertising avoidance behavior than those with a negative attitude toward it.  The form of advertising on YouTube with the highest relationship is non-skippable in-stream ads, followed by skippable in-stream, in-feed video, and masthead ads respectively.