A nationwide poll commissioned by CoinDesk found that registered U.S. voters who answered a question on crypto were more likely to hold a negative view of the industry than a positive one. Among 849 respondents who answered, 533 said their impression of crypto was unfavorable and 316 said it was favorable, or about 63% versus 37%. The remaining respondents either did not answer or said they were unsure.
The survey was conducted in April and released on U.S. midterm election day. It used a random sample of 1,000 registered voters nationwide. One short-answer question asked respondents directly: 「Why do you have a favorable or unfavorable impression of cryptocurrency?」
Democratic-leaning voters were the most negative
The sharpest split in the poll appeared along party lines.
Among Republican-leaning respondents, views were close to even: 212 said they had an unfavorable impression of crypto and 178 said their impression was favorable. Democratic-leaning respondents were much more negative, with 233 giving an unfavorable assessment and only 88 offering a positive one.
Independent voters also leaned negative, with 88 unfavorable responses and 54 favorable ones.
The report said the timing made the findings especially sensitive because the group with the worst impression of the crypto industry was also the one that could end up holding a congressional majority.
Positive views centered on returns and hedging the dollar
Among respondents who gave crypto a positive assessment, investment returns came up repeatedly. One young Republican-leaning voter who supported Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election said, 「Cryptocurrency, especially Bitcoin, has made me a lot of money, and it is a transparent and secure currency.」
Several respondents described crypto as a hedge against the U.S. dollar. Some called it a 「safe way to exchange currency,」 while others said it was a 「safer form of money.」 Some said it could help preserve assets when the dollar weakens, while others simply described it as a good investment. One response said it could serve as a practical inflation hedge outside the United States.
These positive views appeared across age groups, but younger voters were generally more willing than older voters to rate crypto favorably. The only exception was the 18-to-24 group, where 20 respondents had a favorable impression and 24 had an unfavorable one. Older voters were more negative overall, especially those aged 55 and above.
Negative responses cited risk, regulation, fraud and distrust
Respondents with a negative impression gave a wide range of reasons. Some said crypto was a high-risk investment, lacked regulation, did not feel like 「real money,」 or was just a passing trend. Others said it was difficult to use crypto to pay for goods.
Several respondents said they did not 「trust」 crypto or were worried about scams. Another group said they did not know enough about it to rate it positively. Some said they were concerned that forgetting a password could make their assets disappear.
Government involvement was another concern. Several respondents said they worried the government could track users and seize assets. Others directly named Trump and his family’s crypto businesses as a reason for their negative impression of the sector.
One Democratic-leaning respondent who did not vote in 2024 said, 「Crypto is volatile and lacks regulation. There are too many tokens to keep up with, and I think I could end up getting back less money than I put in.」 Another Republican-leaning voter cited 「religious belief」 without elaborating.
Released on U.S. midterm election day
Voting in the U.S. midterm elections ended on Nov. 3, with all 435 House seats and 35 Senate seats up for election. According to polling and prediction market trends cited in the report, Democrats were expected to have a better night than Republicans: control of the House was expected to flip, while the Senate remained a toss-up.
The report said the release date gave the poll added political weight. Democratic lawmakers had already signaled plans to reopen investigations into possible conflicts of interest tied to Trump family business dealings, and crypto policy and related hearings could become a major battleground in the next Congress.
