According to a new survey by Finder.com, about 16.3 million Americans, or 8% of the country's population, own any crypto currency. The survey found that about 5% of the country's citizens own Bitcoin. The number of Bitcoin users has increased significantly when compared with data for 2016, when Pew Research Center found that about half of Americans knew about Bitcoin, but only 1% had any direct use of it.
The researchers collected data from those who do not own crypto currency, why they did not acquire it. 40% believe that "there is no need or they are not interested in this", and 35% noted that "the risks are too high." Among the remaining respondents, 27% said that "the phenomenon is too difficult to understand", 18% said it was "fraud", and 17% said that "Bitcoin is a financial bubble". At the same time, 11% said that "it is too difficult to use the cryptocurrency", and 6% stated that the commissions are too high. Among the respondents, men were three times more likely to buy cryptocurrency than women.
Researchers also divided respondents into millenials, generation X (born between 1960 and 1980) and those born during the demographic explosion after the Second World War (baby boomers). 17% of millenials said that they use cryptocurrencies. It is not the first time a research confirms the popularity and demand of digital assets among young people. However, 15% noted that they "are very difficult to use" and 31% said that "this phenomenon is too difficult to understand". At the same time among the interrogated group of generation X only 9% reported difficulties in use and 26% reported difficulties in understanding the technology.
Researchers also asked what cryptocurrencies the respondents invest in. Bitcoin topped the list - he was picked by 5%, followed by a 2% Etherium enthusiasts, and Bitcoin Cash ranked third with 0.9%. Respondents who own a cryptocurrency, on average, store $ 3,453 in Bitcoin, $ 1,243 in Etherium and $ 636 in Bitcoin Cash.
According to a separate study published this month by the Lendingblock platform, more than half of people believe that the cryptocurrency will be accepted in many stores by 2025. CEO Lendingblock, Steve Swain, said that his company's research results shows "people's confidence in the bright future of the cryptocurrency".