Crypto may have been born out of distrust, but it doesn’t mean it has replaced it or earned trust in return. Even today, a strong 63% of Americans say cryptocurrencies “are not to be trusted,” including 32% who strongly agree. In fact, 35% of bank skeptics distrust crypto, their disillusionment with traditional finance hasn’t translated into enthusiasm in alternatives investments.
That doubt has creeped into the expectations of crypto in the long run with only 5% of Americans strongly believe it is the future of online transactions, compared to 28% who strongly disagree.
Even if nearly everyone has heard of crypto, that familiarity isn’t translating to conviction and risk is the main reason for it. In terms of unstable value for both owners and non-owners the margins are very close at 37% and 38% respectively. While cyber-attacks are flagged by 14%, followed by 12% wary of potential access loss. Rising fraud when it comes to Crypto isn’t helping build it’s credibility either. With over $11.4 billion lost to crypto fraud in 2025, as per the FBI followed by investment scams accounting for $7.3 billion, many still associate crypto with high risk rather than reliability.
From hype to hesitation
A closer look at broader datasets and it’s pretty evident that crypto’s reach looks more niche than revolutionary. Gallup finds that the percentage of U.S. adults who own cryptocurrency is only 14% that pales in comparison to 60% without any interest in ever buying it. Even among investors, ownership has managed to climb 17%, up from 2% in 2018 that could be labeled as growth, but not a breakout adoption.
There is, however, one pocket of momentum, with 49% of Gen Z having used a crypto exchange followed by 37% who currently own or use crypto, as opposed to just 5% of Boomers.
Still, truth be told that generational tilt isn’t tipping the national balance to crypto’s favor. Even with 17% of Americans having ever used crypto that figure has stayed flat for three years. Meanwhile, adoption remains concentrated across age groups: only 29% among those aged 18–29 versus just 8% among those over 50.
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