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Survey shows U.S. respondents’ support for next-generation financial technology at 35%, falling to 13% when blockchain and crypto are explicitly mentioned

Reporter Eleanor Terrett wrote on October 27, 2026, that a joint survey by the DeFi Education Fund and Ipsos found that 35% of U.S. respondents believed political candidates should support building next-generation financial technology in the United States; but when the question explicitly referred to blockchain, cryptocurrencies and DeFi, that share fell to 13%.

The survey also showed that 74% of respondents believed the financial system needs to change so that individuals can have more control over their assets; only 9% said they were very or extremely familiar with cryptocurrencies, and only 5% had complete or high trust in decentralized platforms. Among those interested in trying DeFi, saving and transfers within the United States were the main potential use cases, rather than speculation. Cryptocurrency ownership rose by 4 percentage points, while usage over the past year remained unchanged at 13%.

A related release on Ipsos’ official website confirmed that the survey was conducted from September 8 to 16, 2026, with a sample of 1,545 U.S. adults. The share who had owned or used cryptocurrencies in the past 12 months was 13%, unchanged from 2025; the share who had ever owned or used them was 22% (18% in 2025).

Original sources:

  1. Title: Americans are more supportive of financial innovation when it’s framed broadly than when it’s explicitly tied to crypto Publisher: Eleanor Terrett (@EleanorTerrett) Publication date: 2026-10-27 URL: https://x.com/EleanorTerrett/status/2115011248379105641 Source type: original post Verification status: The original post content was actually read for this report, verification date 2026-10-27 Supporting content: supports the framing difference between 35% and 13%, the 74% need for change, 9% familiarity, 5% trust, the saving and transfer use cases, as well as the 4-percentage-point increase in ownership and the 13% usage figure

  2. Title: Only one in five Americans say the U.S. financial system is secure Publisher: Ipsos Publication date: 2026-10-27 URL: https://www.ipsos.com/en-us/only-one-five-americans-say-us-financial-system-secure Source type: official release Verification status: Key findings on the page were actually read for this report, verification date 2026-10-27 Supporting content: supports the survey methodology, sample size, 13% crypto usage in the past 12 months unchanged from 2025, and 22% having ever owned or used crypto (18% in 2025)

  3. Title: DeFi Research: Americans Want Financial Control Publisher: DeFi Education Fund Publication date: 2026-10-26 URL: https://research.defieducationfund.org/ Source type: organization release Verification status: The page content was actually read for this report, verification date 2026-10-27 Supporting content: supports the statement that 35% of respondents found candidate support for building next-generation financial technology important, as well as the related ownership and usage trends

ABAB AI Insight

The survey was commissioned by the DeFi Education Fund and conducted by Ipsos using probability-based sampling via KnowledgePanel, making the sample representative of U.S. adults. The core finding is the significant effect of question framing on support rates: broad “next-generation financial technology” received 35% support, while the figure fell to 13% when blockchain, cryptocurrencies and DeFi were explicitly named. This is consistent with the related results released by Ipsos and DEF, including widespread dissatisfaction with the security of and control over the current financial system.

A comparable case is the “framing effect” in other technology or policy issues. For example, some surveys show that public support for “data privacy protection” or “payment innovation” is higher than support when specific controversial technologies are mentioned directly. The similarity is that abstract, positive wording is easier to endorse; the difference is that in the cryptocurrency field, familiarity (only 9% very or extremely familiar) and trust (only 5% with high trust) are especially low, making the resistance to specific wording even more pronounced.

This result suggests that the crypto and DeFi industries face a communication challenge: broad financial innovation and the desire for greater personal asset control resonate more strongly, but support drops sharply when these are tied to existing brand and risk perceptions. Those interested in trying it are more focused on everyday uses such as saving and domestic transfers rather than speculation, suggesting that practical use cases may be more readily accepted than a trading narrative. Future indicators to watch include support-rate changes in similarly framed surveys and whether actual crypto usage changes as familiarity rises.

ABAB News · Cognitive Law

  1. For the same issue, support rates may differ significantly between abstract wording and specific technical names.

  2. Broad demand for systemic change does not automatically translate into high familiarity with or high trust in a specific alternative solution.