ipsos

According to a report by Decrypt, a national survey commissioned by the cryptocurrency policy advocacy organization DeFi Education Fund and conducted by Ipsos shows that 22% of American adults have held or used cryptocurrency, up from 18% in 2025, but the usage rate over the past 12 months remains flat at 13%. The survey, conducted from September 8 to 16, interviewed 1,545 adults, with a margin of error of ±2.8 percentage points. The growth almost entirely comes from users who have dropped out: among those who have not used cryptocurrency in the past year, the proportion who had held or used it rose from 5% to 11%; the willingness to purchase in the future also remains flat, with 17% indicating they might hold or use it in the future, compared to 16% last year.In terms of user demographics, the usage rate for men in the past year was 18%, while for women it was 8%, with the former being more than double the latter. Adults under 60 showed a significantly higher usage rate than older individuals. The primary reason for trying cryptocurrency is curiosity (34%), followed by long-term investment (25%). Respondents expressed significant unease about the traditional financial system: only 19% believe it is safe, and 63% think it needs to be upgraded to address cybercrime and AI threats; 60% are concerned about data breaches at large financial institutions, and 54% doubt their ability to withstand AI-driven threats, while 74% indicate that financial privacy is important.This skepticism has not translated into trust in cryptocurrency. Only 4% have high trust in cryptocurrency exchanges, and 5% have high trust in decentralized platforms, while large national banks and credit unions have trust levels of 42% and 48%, respectively. The knowledge gap is also significant: only 2% of Americans are very familiar with DeFi, 6% can identify all four characteristics of cryptocurrency listed in the survey, and 35% are completely uncertain about how to describe cryptocurrency. However, 40% indicate that if DeFi were available, there is at least some possibility they would try it, with over 80% stating they would use it to save money, earn interest, or send money to friends and family; the desire to understand stablecoins and DeFi decreased from 11% to 7% and 8%, respectively.

According to Eleanor Terrett, a joint survey by the DeFi Education Fund and Ipsos shows that 35% of American respondents believe political candidates should support the development of the next generation of financial technology. However, when the question specifically pointed to blockchain, cryptocurrency, and DeFi, this percentage dropped to 13%.The survey also revealed that 74% of respondents believe the financial system needs reform so that individuals can have more control over their assets. Meanwhile, only 9% of respondents reported being very or extremely familiar with cryptocurrency, and just 5% have high trust in decentralized platforms.Among those who are intentionally trying DeFi, the leading uses are for savings and domestic transfers within the United States, rather than speculation. Cryptocurrency ownership has increased by 4 percentage points, while usage over the past year has remained steady at 13%.

According to Cointelegraph, a recent poll conducted by Reuters/Ipsos shows that a majority of American respondents oppose betting on U.S. elections and other government actions through prediction markets. The survey indicates that 69% of Democratic respondents and 61% of Republican respondents oppose using prediction markets to bet on election outcomes. The survey was conducted from September 30 to October 5, covering 4,506 adults nationwide.Aside from elections, even regarding betting on professional sports events, 43% of respondents expressed opposition, while only 29% indicated support. The prediction market industry is currently dominated by platforms such as Polymarket and Kalshi, which allow users to bet on U.S. elections, government policy trends, and sports events, and has sparked multiple lawsuits regarding regulatory authority.The Trump administration is pushing for federal regulation of the industry through the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), while several states have expressed opposition to this. Previously, on October 8, Cointelegraph reported that 39 states and the District of Columbia submitted an amicus brief, indicating that the conflict between the CFTC and state authorities over prediction market issues has created a "national turf war" that cannot be resolved without a Supreme Court ruling.