2026 Cryptocurrency Investor Trends Survey: Ownership Plateaus Despite Record Bitcoin Price

About 22% of Americans own cryptocurrency or hold it through an ETF, according to Motley Fool Money's 2026 Cryptocurrency Investor Trends Survey of 2,000 adults. That share has held roughly flat even as Bitcoin hit an all-time high of $126,198 in October 2025, and the Trump administration has taken a friendlier posture toward the industry. For the two-thirds of Americans who have never owned crypto, knowledge gaps, trust deficits, and persistent skepticism remain the primary obstacles to buying crypto, and none of those barriers have shrunk.

22% of Americans own or hold crypto, and ownership skews heavily toward younger men

About 1 in 5 Americans (22%) has a direct stake in cryptocurrency, according to Motley Fool Money's 2026 Cryptocurrency Investor Trends Survey. Sixteen percent of survey respondents currently own crypto directly, and another 6% hold it through a cryptocurrency ETF. An additional 12% previously owned crypto but no longer do, and 66% have never owned it.

The Federal Reserve's Report on the Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households found that 10% of adults used crypto in any form in 2025, including buying and holding it, matching 2024 and up only slightly from 7% in 2023.

• Gen Z and millennials are the most active crypto buyers. According to Motley Fool Money's survey, 49% of Gen Z respondents and 46% of millennials say they're likely to buy crypto in the next year, compared to 26% of Gen X and 11% of baby boomers. Ownership follows the same trend: 24% of Gen Z and 30% of millennials currently own crypto directly or through an ETF, versus 16% of Gen X and 7% of baby boomers.
• Men are nearly twice as likely as women to plan a crypto purchase. 50% of male respondents say they're likely to buy in the next year, compared to 27% of female respondents, and 34% of male respondents own cryptocurrency, versus 11% female respondents. That gap is consistent with findings from the Pew Research Center, JPMorgan Chase, and Morning Consult.
• Current owners are the most committed buyers. 89% of respondents who currently own crypto directly say they're likely to buy more in the next year. Among those who hold it through an ETF, 88% say the same. Just 18% of those who have never owned cryptocurrency are considering buying for the first time.

Men being more likely than women to own crypto is not a new trend, and the gap is not shrinking. Even as Bitcoin reached record prices and Washington has signaled a more favorable regulatory climate, the industry's ability to attract investors outside its established base remains limited.

57% of crypto owners hold it as an investment, but 48% of non-owners don't know how to buy it

The primary reason Americans own cryptocurrency is simple: 57% of current and former holders cite it as an investment, according to Motley Fool Money's 2026 survey.

Federal Reserve data aligns with that: only 2% of all U.S. adults used crypto to buy something or make a payment in 2025, and just 1% used it to send money to friends or family, per the Fed's 2025 SHED report.

• Nearly half (48%) of non-owners don't know how to buy crypto, and 35% don't know what they'd do with it, according to Motley Fool Money's 2026 Cryptocurrency Investor Trends Survey.
• Skepticism and security concerns are the second tier of barriers. 32% of never-owners think crypto is a scam and 30% cite security concerns, according to the same survey. Only 4% of those who have never owned crypto find cryptocurrency exchanges "very trustworthy," compared to 38% of current owners. That trust gap widens with age: 68% of baby boomers find exchanges not trustworthy at all, versus 37% of Gen Z respondents.
• Crypto owners and non-owners have different knowledge. Among current owners, just 5% say they don't understand how cryptocurrency works at all. Among those who have never owned it, that figure is 59%. Understanding also decreases with age: 34% of millennials say they don't understand crypto at all, compared to 52% of baby boomers.
  
  

The barriers holding non-buyers back aren't about price or volatility. They're about comprehension and trust. Those are fundamental issues that market milestones like Bitcoin's record high appear unlikely to change.

The Strategic Bitcoin Reserve boosted confidence for 67% of current crypto owners, but 42% of non-owners weren't aware of it

In early 2025, the U.S. government established a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and a broader Digital Asset Stockpile. The policy shift landed differently depending on whether respondents already held crypto.

• Existing holders saw the Bitcoin Reserve as validation. 67% of current crypto owners say the reserve increases their confidence in crypto as an investment, according to Motley Fool Money's 2026 Cryptocurrency Investor Trends Survey.
• Non-owners were mostly unmoved and uninformed. Only 14% of never-owners say the Bitcoin Reserve increases their confidence, and 42% say they weren't aware of it at all, per the same survey. Awareness was low for non-owners across generations, with 32% of Gen Z and 34% of baby boomers reporting they hadn't heard of it.
• Confidence decreases were modest across both groups. Only 3% of current owners say the reserve decreases their confidence, compared to 13% of never-owners, according to the survey.

The Bitcoin Reserve reinforced conviction among existing crypto-owners. For everyone else, the policy barely registered.

Trump's memecoin raised conflict-of-interest concerns for 1 in 5 Americans

President Trump launched an official memecoin, TRUMP, in January 2025. Reactions split along ownership lines, with a large share reporting no awareness at all.

• Among non-owners, the memecoin tilted negative. 21% of never-owners say the TRUMP memecoin makes them less confident in cryptocurrency overall, and 20% say it raises concerns about conflicts of interest, per Motley Fool Money's 2026 Cryptocurrency Investor Trends Survey.
• Current owners were more positive. 35% of current owners called the memecoin a sign that crypto is becoming more mainstream and legitimate.
• About a third of all respondents had never heard of it. 32% of all survey respondents, including 43% of never-owners, said they weren't aware the president had launched a memecoin.

The memecoin's mixed reception, combined with low awareness, suggests it functioned more as a signal within the crypto community than as a move that impacted the broader public.

Coinbase's addition to the S&P 500 boosted confidence for 64% of crypto owners, but 35% of non-owners didn't know it happened

Coinbase became the first cryptocurrency company added to the S&P 500 in May 2025. Like the Bitcoin Reserve, the milestone resonated far more with existing holders than with potential new investors.

• Current owners saw the S&P 500 listing as a legitimacy signal. 64% of current crypto owners say Coinbase's addition increases their confidence in cryptocurrency as a legitimate investment, according to Motley Fool Money's 2026 Cryptocurrency Investor Trends Survey.
• Non-owners were largely indifferent or unaware. Only 14% of never-owners say the listing increases their confidence, and 35% say they weren't aware it happened.
• Negative reactions were limited across both groups. Only 3% of current owners say the listing decreases their confidence, compared to 9% of never-owners, according to the survey.

A consistent pattern runs through all three developments: each moved the needle for existing investors while going largely unnoticed or landing negatively among Americans who don't currently hold crypto.

34% would buy more crypto if their bank offered it, but only 19% of non-owners say the same

Holding crypto directly in a primary bank account is one scenario that could lower the barrier to entry. Interest is real, but concentrated.

• Bank-integrated crypto appeals more to current holders than to potential buyers. 34% of all respondents say they'd be more likely to buy or increase their holdings if they could hold crypto in their primary bank account, per Motley Fool Money's 2026 Cryptocurrency Investor Trends Survey. Among current owners, that figure is 74%. Among never-owners, it falls to 19%.
• Gen Z and millennial respondents show the most interest. 39% of Gen Z and 41% of millennials say bank storage would make them more likely to buy, compared to 27% of Gen X and 11% of baby boomers, per the same survey.
• Men are more drawn to bank-integrated crypto than women. 44% of male respondents say bank storage would make them more likely to buy, compared to 25% of female respondents.
  
  

Bank integration could move some fence-sitters, but interest is concentrated among the demographics already most likely to buy.

27% would sign up for a crypto rewards credit card, led by current owners at 69%

Crypto-back credit cards represent a lower-commitment entry point than direct ownership. About a quarter of Americans (27%) say they'd consider one.

• Current owners drive most of the interest. 69% of respondents who currently own crypto say they'd sign up for a card offering cryptocurrency rewards instead of cash back or travel points, per Motley Fool Money's 2026 Cryptocurrency Investor Trends Survey. Among never-owners, only 12% say the same.
• Younger respondents and men show more openness. 33% of Gen Z and 34% of millennials say they'd sign up, compared to lower levels among older generations. Among men, 38% say yes, versus 17% of women.
• Crypto rewards carry tax complexity not captured in stated intent. Rewards received in cryptocurrency may be taxable if a gain is realized, which adds a layer of complexity that may change preferences.

At 27% overall, crypto rewards cards have broader market potential than most crypto products, but interest is still dominated by existing holders.

37% would hold crypto in a retirement account -- including 81% of current owners

Crypto in a retirement account draws more interest than a rewards card or bank account integration, and the ownership gap is the widest.

• Most current owners already hold or plan to add crypto to their retirement portfolio. 35% of current crypto owners say they already hold it in a retirement account, and another 48% say they would consider it, per Motley Fool Money's 2026 Cryptocurrency Investor Trends Survey.
• Interest among never-owners is limited. Only 25% of never-owners say they'd consider holding crypto in a retirement account, according to the same survey.
• The generational gap is significant. 42% of Gen Z and 41% of millennials would consider adding crypto to their retirement accounts, compared to 30% of Gen X and 11% of baby boomers.
  
  

Retirement account integration may deepen crypto's hold on its existing base, but it's unlikely to be a primary driver of new adoption.

Crypto's investor base is growing deeper, not wider

Crypto ownership has remained roughly 1 in 5 among American adults across multiple annual Motley Fool Money surveys. Separately, Federal Reserve data taken in 2025 confirms that the share using crypto in any capacity has plateaued at 10%, matching 2024 and slightly below the 12% recorded in 2021. Despite a record Bitcoin price, a pro-crypto administration, and Coinbase's arrival in the S&P 500, the structural picture hasn't changed.

The barriers keeping most Americans out aren't about price or product access. They're about knowledge and trust: nearly 6 in 10 Americans who have never owned crypto say they don't understand how it works at all, nearly a third think it's a scam, and fewer than 4% find crypto exchanges trustworthy. Those gaps are widest among the oldest generations, the ones with the most capital and the least familiarity with the asset class.

Crypto's momentum is self-reinforcing within its existing base. Each new policy development, product integration, and market milestone registers more strongly with current investors than with potential ones. The industry is deepening its hold on the portfolios of people already in it, while the broader population remains on the sidelines.