Key facts
- 22% of U.S. adults have ever owned or used crypto, an increase from 18% in 2025.
- Past-year crypto usage held steady at 13%.
- Growth in crypto adoption came from lapsed users, with those who hadn't used crypto in the past year more than doubling their ever-owned rate to 11%.
- Only 19% of Americans consider the traditional financial system secure, while 63% believe it needs upgrades against AI and cybercrime.
- Trust in crypto exchanges is low, with only 4% expressing high trust.
- Just 2% of Americans are very familiar with DeFi, yet 40% are open to trying it.
A recent survey indicates that while more Americans have experimented with cryptocurrency, a significant portion are not actively using it. The poll, conducted by Ipsos for the DeFi Education Fund, found that 22% of U.S. adults have ever owned or used crypto, an increase from 18% in 2025. However, the percentage of those who used crypto in the past 12 months remained stagnant at 13%. This growth was primarily driven by individuals who had previously used crypto but stopped, with their 'ever owned' rate more than doubling to 11% from 5%. Future purchase plans also showed little change, with 17% expressing likelihood to buy crypto, similar to 16% last year. Men were more than twice as likely as women to have used crypto in the past year (18% vs. 8%), and younger adults under 60 were more frequent users than older demographics. Curiosity was the leading motivation for trying crypto, cited by 34% of users, followed by long-term investment at 25%.