Only 14% of US Adults Own Bitcoin or Other Crypto – Still Early Days?

[coolcoinz]

Interesting statistics.

Conservatives own more cryptocurrency than liberals, even though conservatives are suspicious with new thing, many people who hate Bitcoin are old people and most of them conservatives.

The higher the income, the higher they own cryptocurrency which is make sense. Higher earnings have more money to risk.

A lot of this is similar to other investment surveys and doesn't really say much about bitcoin. For instance, the least interested group is women 18-49, followed by women 50+. If you grab any other statistics, like what age and gender groups are interested in things like investing in general, own stocks, ETFs, or foreign currencies, the statistic would look the same.

The one that shows income is also similar to stock ownership. People with the highest income will have the most exposure to investment vehicles and will also have time to do the research, while someone working on a night shift at a fast food restaurant will not.

I'd say that even less people really own crypto because the survey doesn't say how much they own. Many people got their crypto from friends and family in small amounts, or bought some to learn about it. I'd expect at least a third of these people who declare that they own crypto to actually own less than $1k of it.

[serjent05]

I guess Bitcoin has passed the early days or stage. I believe Bitcoin is somewhere in its early middle stage of adoption since governments are now recognizing Bitcoin and companies are just starting to get into the race of Bitcoin accumulation.

Early days had already passed, we can see on how the price of Bitcoin ballooned and how one needs a large amount to accumulate or buy one bitcoin. Aside from that, I feel that the data given have huge discrepancy, there is no way one can tell how many are actually holding BTC.

This 14% also include Bitcoiners that have their Bitcoins residing in non custodial wallets? There is no way to track a Bitcoiner that is not present on exchange like Binance. I am sure the exact number of people having Bitcoin or any-other crypto is now much higher then 14%.

I doubt that since one can create more than a dozen addresses.

Moreover Bitcoin is a global currency not limited to one to two countries. In the end it matters how many people in the world are well aware and possessing Bitcoin or other crypto and this figure is now quite satisfactory. 

I agree one should not only rely on a single country to check on what stage the Bitcoin journey is, instead we must look at it as a whole.

[dkbit98]

I don't know exact numbers but I don't think that 14% is correct information for several reasons.
First this was just a survey so only small percentage of population was included, and many people don't even reveal in public they own bitcoin.
Only politicians who are in government must reveal their assets ownership and that includes Bitcoin.
There is even a website bitcoinpoliticians with tracking list for that:
https://bitcoinpoliticians.org/

[sokani]

~

This 14% also include Bitcoiners that have their Bitcoins residing in non custodial wallets? There is no way to track a Bitcoiner that is not present on exchange like Binance. I am sure the exact number of people having Bitcoin or any-other crypto is now much higher then 14%. Moreover Bitcoin is a global currency not limited to one to two countries. In the end it matters how many people in the world are well aware and possessing Bitcoin or other crypto and this figure is now quite satisfactory.  

No, I'm sure their crypto addresses weren't required. It's going to look fishy to ask participants to share their crypto addresses.

Basically, an online survey was conducted exclusively for US citizens and people were asked some bunch of questions which they supplied the answers. Now, one thing you need to understand is that survey is not always accurate. It's just to give you an idea and as such, the 14% of crypto holders in the US may not be correct because no matter how the publicize the survey, it is not all Americans that will participate and also some persons might have given false answers.

[dumpsterhawk]

I guess Bitcoin has passed the early days or stage. I believe Bitcoin is somewhere in its early middle stage of adoption since governments are now recognizing Bitcoin and companies are just starting to get into the race of Bitcoin accumulation.

Very early middle stage I could agree with, but not more than that. You must understand that we are talking about a few companies and that plenty of countries are actively fighting Bitcoin such as those of the EU.

Early days had already passed, we can see on how the price of Bitcoin ballooned and how one needs a large amount to accumulate or buy one bitcoin. Aside from that, I feel that the data given have huge discrepancy, there is no way one can tell how many are actually holding BTC.

You can't derive how early we are in the adoption cycle solely because of the price. The price without complete context does not tell you anything.

This 14% also include Bitcoiners that have their Bitcoins residing in non custodial wallets? There is no way to track a Bitcoiner that is not present on exchange like Binance. I am sure the exact number of people having Bitcoin or any-other crypto is now much higher then 14%.

I doubt that since one can create more than a dozen addresses.

You can't reliably measure ownership from addresses anyways. Actually you can't even create a rough estimate so that is always not worth talking about.

[adaseb]

I think the survey might be a little bias. I think 14% is really high if you count all the adults including seniors. In my opinion I think the real number is 5% which is still considered large given the US population.

With the ETFs being introduced obviously that number will keep rising since the entry barriers are no long there. Anyone with an investment account can buy the Blackrock BTC ETF and be considered an crypto investor. Long gone are the days of having to wait week to get your account approved to be able to buy crypto, these days you can do it instantely pretty much.

[davis196]

14% is huge. I thought that the crypto supporters in the USA are less than 10% of the population. 14% means approximately 40 million people.
This number means that there's room for growth, but it's a bit sad to see that 77% of the people won't be investing in BTC. I also find it weird that BTC/crypto is more popular among the conservatives. Maybe many libertarians are considering themselves to be conservative and many people of the MAGA movement got interested in BTC/crypto only because Trump became pro-crypto.
Those 4%, who are interested in buying BTC should increase in quantity, since the bull run keeps going on.

[bitbollo]

it's really interesting to see at least 60% that DOESN'T WANT TO BUY AT ALL! This is a crazy percentage if you think... beause has no reason to be there!
Why so much people doesn't want buy bitcoin? What is the reason behind?
I think that years and years of "bad news" assuming that btc was used only by criminals and for illicit trade has produced a result ...

[Lucius]

-cut-
Do you think this is still an early stage?

This is not a good indicator. I mean only 10.8% of US adults own gold while 11.6 percent owns silver, so does it means it's early days for gold and silver as well?
~snip~

Well observed, so it really doesn't matter if 14% or only 4% of Americans own Bitcoin, especially if we consider that most ordinary people own probably very small amounts, while the rich don't actually own Bitcoin but stakes in BTC ETFs.

I really don't know what it is about people that they still think that Bitcoin is something everyone must own? Besides, I read somewhere that BTC is traded the most in Europe and that's where the most people own it - but all the focus is on the US so few people even pay attention to it. As for the early phase (in any sense), it is long gone and in my opinion lasted until about the end of 2017.

[Hazink]

Do you think this is massive adaptation or just the beginning? I think after Trump won, US citizens started thinking about Bitcoin and crypto. Slowly they are entering into crypto; I believe next year the crypto owner will be double.

I think differently; I consider the number of users to own bitcoin to start increasing after SEC approval of the bitcoin ETF and not after Trump won the election. Before, many saw bitcoin as something the US government stands against (even though that’s the truth) and will not want to invest in something they consider unsafe. But after ETF approval, that mindset changes in many minds. Trump winning and becoming US president might have sped up the move for adoption, but I consider the ETF to be the first step.

14% is actually not a small number; if the survey data is correct, we are talking about 14% of an entire adult population of a country. The number is big, and it will increase over time as long as there are no clear policies that will prevent people from owning Bitcoin and the tax is not much as well.

[lovesmayfamilis]

I think that these 14% are quite a small number, considering that 64% still have big doubts, considering Bitcoin a risky investment. And that small number, which is only 4%, who are going to buy in the future, is also unknown; it is unknown whether these people will buy. As the survey says, Americans are too conservative to change their methods of accumulation, but, indeed, Bitcoin does not care about such numbers; it is not for nothing that it is compared to water that seeps everywhere as soon as it spills. Therefore, everything has its time, and the younger generation simply will not be able to rely on old methods and will understand the full value of Bitcoin.

[BlackBoss_]

I kind of get it if only 14% of US citizens have Bitcoin or other cryptocurrency. This may be as a result of the past administration's criticism towards cryptocurrency. However, right now the ties have changed, and the current president wants to make the US the crypto capital of the world. He has backed his words with action by passing 3 crucial bills into law recently. I know the percentage of citizens that are still skeptical and those not interested in crypto are still very high, but with a pro-crypto president at the helm of affairs and more favourable legislation in place, I believe the numbers will progressively increase.

Trump has habit of making noise and I don't trust him before anything is signed and enforced officially. In addition, his policies can be changed or reverted by a next President so I don't hope too high on a next 3 years and some more months of Trump Presidency.

The Bitcoin demographics in the USA gives a lot of space for more adoption in the nation but it is not too different than global Bitcoin demographics. In general and at global scale, Bitcoin will have too good open space for more adoption in the future.
https://coin.dance/stats#demographics

[Felicity_Tide]

~snip

Do you think this is still an early stage?

This should be a tough one to answer honestly, considering the fact I personally can't make conclusions based on a random data or news on the internet. Tbh, I'm as surprised as you(OP) are, seeing the 14% of the total adult population in US owning Bitcoin. How was the survey conducted, or where were the data gathered?. I'm not sure though, but there is a part of me that believes that the figures/percentage ought to be more than this.

And as for the question, I don't think we are still at an early stage considering everything that has become history today. Remember that there was once a time when Government and Bitcoin relationship was a major topic. So, I think we gone far, but not sure howfar we've gone.

[Don Pedro Dinero]

~snip

Do you think this is still an early stage?

This should be a tough one to answer honestly, considering the fact I personally can't make conclusions based on a random data or news on the internet. Tbh, I'm as surprised as you(OP) are, seeing the 14% of the total adult population in US owning Bitcoin. How was the survey conducted, or where were the data gathered?

That's right, first of all you have to be sceptical about statistics in general. Moreover, in the future a lot of people will be exposed to bitcoin without knowing it. Today, people who have funds indexed to the S&P 500 or the Nasdaq 100 and other US indices already have an indirect exposure, albeit very small, to bitcoin, but it is an exposure that will grow more and more.

The only metric is not going to be to ask people: do you own bitcoin? Because maybe they don't own bitcoin but they own IBIT, or MSTR shares, and to count whether it's early we have to take into account both the former and the latter.

[FortuneFollower]

~snip

Do you think this is still an early stage?

This should be a tough one to answer honestly, considering the fact I personally can't make conclusions based on a random data or news on the internet. Tbh, I'm as surprised as you(OP) are, seeing the 14% of the total adult population in US owning Bitcoin. How was the survey conducted, or where were the data gathered?. I'm not sure though, but there is a part of me that believes that the figures/percentage ought to be more than this.

And as for the question, I don't think we are still at an early stage considering everything that has become history today. Remember that there was once a time when Government and Bitcoin relationship was a major topic. So, I think we gone far, but not sure howfar we've gone.

It heavily depends on whether it's an early stage of what: adoption, having the opportunity to get more BTC, or something else?

I would say there is never a late stage to get more, regarding the adoption - surely, we are somewhere in the middle, or near it.

[avp2306]

~snip

Do you think this is still an early stage?

This should be a tough one to answer honestly, considering the fact I personally can't make conclusions based on a random data or news on the internet. Tbh, I'm as surprised as you(OP) are, seeing the 14% of the total adult population in US owning Bitcoin. How was the survey conducted, or where were the data gathered?

That's right, first of all you have to be sceptical about statistics in general. Moreover, in the future a lot of people will be exposed to bitcoin without knowing it. Today, people who have funds indexed to the S&P 500 or the Nasdaq 100 and other US indices already have an indirect exposure, albeit very small, to bitcoin, but it is an exposure that will grow more and more.

The only metric is not going to be to ask people: do you own bitcoin? Because maybe they don't own bitcoin but they own IBIT, or MSTR shares, and to count whether it's early we have to take into account both the former and the latter.

Its hard to prove the statistic they showed in real life since usually they survey a small number of people which actually doesn't always told everything.

That's why we should rely on what we see on reality.

But what good thing about is there are lots of people now are knowledgeable on Bitcoin existence so for sure that the number would increase more. Especially that lots of people already been curious about the potential of Bitcoin to grow more in future. We are still on early days since not all people in the world is holding Bitcoin, also bitcoin supply is limited so provably there's a scarcity will happen especially if majority of people in the world would start to buy Bitcoin.

[john_egbert]

^ Everybody will be able to get BTC, the question would be only in quantities.

The BTCs we get now will be a luxury in the decades to come for the price we have, and surely, now it seems like some mantra: but I do believe that would be the case and we need to use this opportunity to be on the bright side.

[Wakate]

I kind of get it if only 14% of US citizens have Bitcoin or other cryptocurrency. This may be as a result of the past administration's criticism towards cryptocurrency. However, right now the ties have changed, and the current president wants to make the US the crypto capital of the world. He has backed his words with action by passing 3 crucial bills into law recently. I know the percentage of citizens that are still skeptical and those not interested in crypto are still very high, but with a pro-crypto president at the helm of affairs and more favourable legislation in place, I believe the numbers will progressively increase.

This 14% also include Bitcoiners that have their Bitcoins residing in non custodial wallets? There is no way to track a Bitcoiner that is not present on exchange like Binance. I am sure the exact number of people having Bitcoin or any-other crypto is now much higher then 14%. Moreover Bitcoin is a global currency not limited to one to two countries. In the end it matters how many people in the world are well aware and possessing Bitcoin or other crypto and this figure is now quite satisfactory. 

I think this is just a guess work and does not have that accurate estimation of how many people owns Bitcoin in the United States. I don't really think that such value is valid looking at so many factors involved. I don't really know what standard they used to guess how many people in the United States own Bitcoin but even at that such number is absolutely low compared to what the number could be.
If the United States is among the countries that own larger amount of Bitcoin, so why would the number of her citizens holding Bitcoin be as low as 14%? Hahaha, I would not be surprised but I don't trust such guess work because it is below the average.

[crwth]

Initially, I think that the majority of people, not just in the US, are reaching a point where it's too late to purchase BTC, and it's something that seems expensive to them, without realizing that it's actually even harder to justify to themselves. Even if it's still in infancy, they are overwhelmed by how much its price is.

I think skepticism remains, and there will always be fear in this. It's better to have that education and financial literacy on why crypto education is a good thing for everyone.

[Z-tight]

Surverys are hardly ever accurate, a lot of us are smart enough to know this. However, if we hypothetically agree that this is true, then 14% is a good number, i have come to understand that many bitcoiners believe that everyone should buy BTC because they do.

I mean 14% of U.S. adults is a good number, considering the population in the country, and this is not a static number, it is bound to grow with the years, so i am not buying the talk of early days. You should look at the percent of Americans that own gold or silver, then you would understand why 14% is a huge success, if it is correct.