This study
examined the exposure, perception, and attitude of University of Ibadan
undergraduates toward pop-up advertising messages. The study was motivated by
the increasing use of pop-up advertisements in digital environments and
concerns about their intrusive nature, relevance, credibility, and influence on
users’ responses. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. The
population comprised 16,736 undergraduate students of the University of Ibadan,
from which a sample of 391 respondents was determined using the Taro Yamane
formula. A multistage sampling procedure was used in selecting respondents
across faculties, departments, and levels of study. Data were collected through
a structured questionnaire and analyzed using frequency counts, percentages,
and mean scores. The findings showed that the undergraduates of the University
of Ibadan had a high level of exposure to pop-up advertisements, with most
respondents encountering them at least once during each browsing session.
Social media platforms constituted the major medium through which students
encountered pop-up advertisements, while product and service advertisements
were the most common type seen. The respondents generally did not perceive
pop-up advertisements as sufficiently informative or relevant to their
demographic needs; rather, they largely viewed them as misleading, deceptive,
intrusive, and disruptive.The study further revealed that students had
predominantly unfavourable attitudes toward pop-up advertisements, as many
respondents reported frustration when exposed to them. The study concludes that
frequent exposure to pop-up advertisements does not necessarily lead to
positive perception, favourable attitude, or purchase response. It recommends
that advertisers should design more relevant, credible, less intrusive, and
user-centred pop-up advertisements, while relevant regulatory bodies should
strengthen measures against deceptive and excessively disruptive online
advertising practices.
Keywords: Exposure, Perception, Attitude, internet Users, Pop-up Advert Messages.
