Digital Advertising in the U.S. 2021

Topics of the survey

• Internet and social media usage
• Customer journey
• Content of interest
• Digital advertising
• Advertisement perception
• Data privacy & trust
• Internet tracking & data protection
• Characteristics & demographics

• Method: Online survey
• Survey name: GCS Special Digital Advertising in the U.S.
• Region: United States
• Number of respondents: 5,400
• Age of respondents: 16 to 64 years old
• Type of respondents: residential online population
• Survey time period: 21st July to 10th August 2021

• Gender
• Age (basic)
• Annual household income - United States

Internet and social media usage

• Which of these devices do you regularly use with an internet connection?
• Which of the following types of website and online services have you used in the past 4 weeks?
• What operating system does your (primarily used) smartphone run on?
• Which of these things have you done online in the past 4 weeks?
• On average, how many hours a day do you spend using the following digital media and apps? / Digital media usage frequency: Editorial media
• On average, how many hours a day do you spend using the following digital media and apps? / Digital media usage frequency: Video streaming
• On average, how many hours a day do you spend using the following digital media and apps? / Digital media usage frequency: Live video streaming
• On average, how many hours a day do you spend using the following digital media and apps? / Digital media usage frequency: Audio streaming
• On average, how many hours a day do you spend using the following digital media and apps? / Digital media usage frequency: Business networks
• On average, how many hours a day do you spend using the following digital media and apps? / Digital media usage frequency: Social media
• On average, how many hours a day do you spend using the following digital media and apps? / Digital media usage frequency: Content subscription services
• On average, how many hours a day do you spend using the following digital media and apps? / Digital media usage frequency: Video games
• On average, how many hours a day do you spend using the following digital media and apps? / Digital media usage frequency: Websites of brands and products
• On average, how many hours a day do you spend using the following digital media and apps? / Digital media usage frequency: Blogs and forums
• What kinds of social media do you use regularly?
• Which of these things have you done on social media in the past 4 weeks? 
• What social media platforms do you use regularly? This does not include instant messengers such as WhatsApp.

• Which of these statements about your internet usage apply to you?
• How do you usually find out about new interesting content and topics?
• How do you usually find out about new interesting products?
• How do you search for specific information on a product that you want to buy?
• For which of these products do you mostly look for information online rather than offline?
• Which of these items have you bought online in the past 12 months?
• Which of these devices have you used for online shopping in the past 12 months?

• When you think about brands and companies on social media, which types of content are you interested in seeing from them?
• On which of these channels have you come across interesting products and services through advertising or sponsored content in the past 12 months?
• On which of these social media channels have you come across interesting products and services through advertising or sponsored content in the past 12 months?
• What are reasons for you personally to pay for content on websites and apps?
• For which of these services do you or your household have a paid subscription?

• Which of these statements about online advertising do you agree with?
• Where have you come across non-digital advertisements in the past 4 weeks?
• Where have you come across online advertisements in the past 4 weeks?
• How often do you notice online advertisements on the following devices? / Online ad noticed frequency: Desktop PC
• How often do you notice online advertisements on the following devices? / Online ad noticed frequency: Laptop
• How often do you notice online advertisements on the following devices? / Online ad noticed frequency: Streaming device
• How often do you notice online advertisements on the following devices? / Online ad noticed frequency: Smartphone
• How often do you notice online advertisements on the following devices? / Online ad noticed frequency: Smart TV
• How often do you notice online advertisements on the following devices? / Online ad noticed frequency: Tablet
• How often do you notice online advertisements on the following devices? / Online ad noticed frequency: Smartwatch
• How often do you notice online advertisements on the following devices? / Online ad noticed frequency: Smart speaker
• How often do you notice online advertisements on the following devices? / Online ad noticed frequency: Gaming console
• What prompted you to click on online advertising in the past 12 months?
• Why do you usually click hide ad for online advertising?

• On which of the following channels do you often notice advertising and sponsored content?
• On which of the following social media channels do you often notice advertising and sponsored content?
• On which of these channels do you find online advertising frequently annoying?
• Which of these forms of advertising on the internet and in apps do you find annoying?
• On which of these social media channels do you find online advertising especially annoying?

• Which of the following statements about data privacy do you agree with?
• When you think about your digital privacy, which of these statements apply to you?
• Which of these companies do you trust to handle your personal data responsibly?
• Which of these social media companies do you trust to handle your personal data responsibly?
• Which of these websites and apps do you trust to handle your personal data responsibly?
• Which of the following data about you should companies be able to use to target more relevant advertising and offers at you?

• Which of these statements about personalized advertising and content do you agree with?
• Which of the following statements about these cookie banners do you agree with?
• How do you usually deal with cookie settings on websites?
• Which of this information about you should websites be allowed to store via cookie tracking?
• Some apps on your smartphone or tablet ask for permission to track you: Which of these statements about app tracking do you agree with?
• Which of these permissions have you given apps in the past 12 months? Access to ...
• Which of these aspects would be the decisive factor in your granting tracking permissions to an app?
• Which types of apps are you willing to grant tracking permission?
• Do you currently use an ad blocker?
• Which of your devices are you using an ad blocker on?

• What is your gender?
• How old are you
• How old are you
• How old are you
• How old are you
• What is your marital status?
• Do you consider yourself part of the LGBTQ+ community?
• What is your gender identity?
• Which of the following best describes you?
• What is your primary language?
• Which of the following best describes you?
• Recode based on Ethnicity - United States (detailed)
• Where do you currently live?
• Recode based on Region - United States (detailed)
• What is the highest level of education you have completed?
• Recode based on Education - United States (detailed)
• Which of the following categories best describes your current employment status?
• Recode based on Employment status (detailed)
• If you add up everything: About how high is the annual gross income that your total household disposes of, before tax and contributions?
• Recode based on Annual household income (detailed) - United States
• How big is the town you live in?
• Recode based on Community size (detailed)
• In what type of community do you live?
• What is your current living situation (main residence)?
• How many people – including yourself and all children – permanently live in your household?
• How many children and teenagers below 14 years of age permanently live in your household, no matter if they are your natural children or not?
• Who do you currently live with?
• Recode based on Household size and Children under 14 years of age in household
• Recode based on Household members
• Out of the following list, which are the 3 most important aspects to you in life? Please choose exactly 3.
• Which of these products and services are you interested in?
• What is the usual practice in your household: In which fields do you personally make purchasing decisions?