Men and Londoners are the most likely to complain about ads, according to a study by the UK advertising watchdog.

The Advertising Standards Authority has found that 56% of the 25,647 complaints it received last year were from men, with women accounting for 41%.



The report found significant gender differences in the issues that men and women lodge complaints about.



Women are much more concerned about ads they consider to be harmful or offensive, which accounted for 59% of total complaints lodged by women, compared with just 35% for men.



This includes ads such those using young or unhealthily thin models to promote products or that “body shame” young women.



Men are mainly concerned with misleading ads, which accounted for 64% of total complaints.



The report also found that Londoners are the most likely to lodge a complaint with the ASA of any region in the UK.

The capital’s residents accounted for 16.4% (of all complaints made to the ASA last year. Residents in Northern Ireland were proportionally the least likely to complain, accounting for just 1.4% of the total.



“The breakdown of ad complaints provides a fascinating snapshot of the issues that concern people across the nations and regions,” said Guy Parker, chief executive of the ASA. “It can only take a single complaint to stop an irresponsible ad. And it doesn’t matter who or where it comes from.”

