Survey Finds 29% Of U.S. Millennials Watch Skippable YouTube Ads To Completion

Though the majority of millennial YouTube viewers in the U.S. say that they skip ads whenever possible, a sizable group does not, eMarketer reports, citing a study by online survey platform LaunchLeap. According to the findings, 59% of millennial viewers watch ads until they can skip them — though a surprising 29%, it turns out, watch ads to completion.

Additionally, the LaunchLeap survey pegs the number of U.S. millennials using ad-blocking software at just 11% — which is relatively low, eMarketer notes, given that a study last summer by marketing agency Anatomy Media found that 63% of U.S. millennial Internet users had an ad blocker installed on at least one device.

YouTube is massively popular among U.S. millennials (those aged roughly 18 to 34) — 54% of whom visit the site at least once per day, eMarketer reports. And if these users are increasingly watching ads in full — as the study suggests — then that’s very good for business. eMarketer anticipates that YouTube’s net U.S. video ad revenues will climb to $2.59 billion next year, accounting for 20% of all video ad revenues nationwide.

And while the 29% figure may sound slightly high, Google noted in an earnings report last year that more and more people were viewing ads instead of skipping them, AdWeek reports, largely due to higher-quality creative. As for YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki? She notably said in an interview last summer that she skips every other pre-roll in order to keep an ear to the ground as to what kind of ads are proliferating across the platform.