Yes, provided you are prepared to pay for one, know why you should want one in the first place, can put up with the increased latency, and are competent enough to set up your computer to use it. Most people are some combination of aren't/don't/can't/aren't.

My foray into VPNs was good.. pretty much download, install, and play.

Yes, but are you going to install a VPN for everyone? I think people should have a reasonable expectation of privacy, even when they are non-technical.

I've only tried a VPN provider once, and all it involved was to download a program that took care of all the configuration for me. Child's play it was.