Americans have shown considerably more support for financial innovation than for cryptocurrency-specific policies, with a new Ipsos survey finding that 35% want political candidates to support developing financial technology in the United States, compared with 13% when the question refers explicitly to blockchain, cryptocurrency and decentralized finance.
Summary
- Financial innovation attracts 35% support, compared with 13% for explicitly crypto-related policies.
- Only 9% report strong crypto familiarity, while 5% express substantial trust in decentralized platforms.
- Crypto ownership or usage rose from 18% in 2025 to 22% in 2026.
- Saving and domestic money transfers lead potential DeFi applications among interested respondents.
According to research published on October 27 by the DeFi Education Foundation, Ipsos surveyed 1,545 U.S. adults through its KnowledgePanel between September 8 and 16. The findings show growing dissatisfaction with conventional financial services, even as familiarity with cryptocurrency and trust in decentralized platforms remain low.
The 22-percentage-point difference was reported by journalist Eleanor Terrett, who pointed to the industry’s difficulty gaining support when discussing cryptocurrency directly. The survey arrives two weeks before the November 2026 midterm elections, when candidates face competing demands over financial regulation and emerging technology.
Americans favor financial technology over crypto policies
The Ipsos findings indicate that the language used to describe financial innovation can produce substantially different responses. While 35% considered support for the next generation of American financial technology important for political candidates, only 13% expressed the same view when blockchain, crypto and DeFi were named.
Terrett described the difference as evidence of an industry branding problem, although the survey percentages measure responses to specific questions rather than voting intentions. The polling does not establish that respondents who favor financial technology necessarily support cryptocurrency regulation or decentralized financial services.
Previous polling has produced similarly varied findings about crypto’s political appeal. In May, a survey of American voters found that only 4% considered a candidate’s cryptocurrency position important to their voting decision, while affordable housing and consumer protection ranked higher.
A separate June survey offered a different perspective, with Digital Currency Group reporting that crypto had become an election issue for 40% of respondents, compared with 20% in 2024. The polls asked different questions and sampled different populations, preventing their percentages from serving as directly comparable measures of political support.
Americans want more control over their finances
Dissatisfaction with the financial system appeared throughout the new research, particularly around security, personal information and access to money. Ipsos found that only 19% considered the existing U.S. financial system secure, while 63% believed it needed upgrades to address emerging threats.
Concerns about personal information were particularly common, with 80% saying changes were needed to provide people with greater control over their data. Another 74% considered financial privacy important, and 62% preferred keeping personal information private during financial transactions.
The survey found that 66% wanted access to their money at all times, while only 49% believed they had personal control over their financial assets. Concerns about artificial intelligence appeared in the responses as well, with 54% questioning whether financial institutions could adequately protect personal information from AI-related threats.
Trust in decentralized finance remained limited despite those concerns. According to the findings highlighted by Terrett, just 9% described themselves as very or extremely familiar with cryptocurrency, while only 5% reported substantial trust in decentralized platforms.
Crypto adoption rises while recent usage remains flat
The foundation’s data showed that 22% of Americans had owned or used cryptocurrency at some point, compared with 18% in the 2025 survey. The four-percentage-point gain concerned lifetime participation, while cryptocurrency use during the previous 12 months remained unchanged at 13%, according to Terrett’s account.
The distinction separates people who have encountered cryptocurrency from those reporting activity within the past year.
Separately, the Federal Reserve’s 2025 household survey found that 10% of adults held or used cryptocurrency during that year, using a different survey design and measurement period.
Political interest showed relatively small differences between the major parties. The foundation reported that 17% of Republicans and 16% of Democrats wanted to learn more about cryptocurrency, while previous ownership or use reached 24% and 21%, respectively.
Saving money leads potential DeFi use cases
Interest in trying decentralized finance was higher than reported familiarity with existing platforms. Ipsos found that 40% of respondents were at least somewhat likely to try DeFi if it became available to them, with saving money and domestic transfers receiving the strongest interest among that group.
Among respondents open to DeFi, 85% identified saving money as a potential use, up from 77% in 2025. Another 82% selected sending money to friends or family within the United States, compared with 73% in the previous survey.
The research used Ipsos KnowledgePanel and weighted responses across demographic and political characteristics. Its reported margin of error was ±2.8 percentage points, with comparisons drawn against a separate survey of 1,321 adults conducted from August 18 to 21, 2025.
