One in five Americans want to know more about non-traditional forms of finance
WASHINGTON, D.C., Sept. 18, 2025 – A new national study from DeFi Education Foundation (DEF), conducted by Ipsos, provides new insights into how Americans, especially in underbanked communities, view the existing U.S. financial system and emerging technologies, like crypto and decentralized finance. The poll, which was conducted on the Ipsos KnowledgePanel and supplemented by in-depth interviews in the Bronx and Queens, New York, show that Americans are frustrated with financial institutions, want greater control over their financial assets and data, and believe that innovations can support affordability, equity, and consumer protection in finance.
This Ipsos x DEFi research shows that almost one in five Americans (18%) say they have owned or used crypto at some point in their lifetime. And almost a quarter of Americans (22%) say they are “interested in learning more about nontraditional forms of finance, such as blockchain, crypto, or decentralized finance.”
The poll also found that there is a diverse demographic base of Americans who have owned or used crypto over the last 12-months, including roughly one in five Millennials (30–44-year-olds) (22%), Americans that identified as Black (20%), and men (20%), as well as one in six (16%) Americans who have a Bachelor’s degree or higher.
“The new study finds emerging awareness of cryptocurrency and decentralized finance as many Americans express frustrations with current financial institutions’ ability to deliver security, personalized control and flexibility,” said Alec Tyson, Senior Vice President, Ipsos Public Affairs.
About the Study
The study was conducted August 18–21, 2025 by Ipsos, on behalf of the DeFi Education Fund, using a weighted national sample of 1,321 adults (age 18 or older) living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia selected from its nationwide, probability-based online research panel, KnowledgePanel®. The margin of sampling error for the full sample is ±2.8 percentage points with a design effect of 1.08.
The sampling design consisted of an initial national general population sample of U.S. adults (age 18 or older). Data for all qualified respondents were adjusted to the gender, age, race/ethnicity, Census region by metropolitan status, education, household income, and party identification distributions derived from the March 2024 Current Population Survey (CPS) and Pew Research Center’s National Public Opinion Reference Survey (NPORS) for party identification.
Specific categories used in weighting were:
- Gender (Male, Female) by Age (18–29, 30–49, 50–60, 61+)
- Race-Ethnicity (White/Non-Hispanic, Black/Non-Hispanic, Other or 2+ Races/Non-Hispanic, Hispanic)
- Census Region (Northeast, Midwest, South, West) by Metropolitan Status (Metro, Non-Metro)
- Education (Less than High School, High School, Some College, Bachelor or higher)
- Household Income (under $25K, $25–$49,999, $50K–$74,999, $75K–$99,999, $100K–$149,999, $150K and over)
- Party Identification (Republican, Lean Republican, Not lean/refused, Lean Democrat, Democrat)
Starting with this initial weight, the data for the total qualified sample were further adjusted by the aforementioned demographic benchmarks to ensure representation of the U.S. adult population.
For more information on this news release, please contact:
Jennifer Rosenthal, Chief Communications Officer, DEF
Scott Gardner, Vice President, US, Public Affairs, Ipsos
Alec Tyson, Senior Vice President, US, Public Affairs, Ipsos
About DeFi Education Foundation (DEF)
Founded in 2025, the DeFi Education Foundation (DEF) is a nonpartisan research and advocacy 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization committed to building a mainstream understanding of decentralized finance and why it is important to protect the rights of developers, users, and projects to freely create decentralized infrastructure and technology.
About Ipsos
Ipsos is one of the largest market research and polling companies globally, operating in 90 markets and employing nearly 20,000 people.
Our passionately curious research professionals, analysts and scientists have built unique multi-specialist capabilities that provide true understanding and powerful insights into the actions, opinions and motivations of citizens, consumers, patients, customers or employees. Our 75 business solutions are based on primary data from our surveys, social media monitoring, and qualitative or observational techniques.
“Game Changers” – our tagline – summarizes our ambition to help our 5,000 clients navigate with confidence our rapidly changing world.
Founded in France in 1975, Ipsos has been listed on the Euronext Paris since July 1, 1999. The company is part of the SBF 120, Mid-60 indices, and is eligible for the Deferred Settlement Service (SRD).
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