While I doubt any statistically significant number of people browse the web with a mindset of "I really hope I see some great ads today", I also doubt that most

While I doubt any statistically significant number of people browse the web with a mindset of "I really hope I see some great ads today", I also doubt that most people "don't like websites with ads". IMO, what most people dislike is websites with overly intrusive and distracting ads, ads that attempt to fingerprint the users, or other things that lean towards a user-hostile experience. Also, by blocking ads and still consuming the content you signal to the content owner/producer that you do in fact value the content. The subtext is that they might have better options to monetize your visit, perhaps through a better layout and ad experience. IMO the average content publisher would not want a purely binary experience of "browse my ad ridden cotent, or avoid my site altogether". What they want is a monetization strategy that retains enough viewers to be viable. As viewers/readers, we only have so many practical feedback options to tell them what is acceptable or what is not.