Only 19% of Americans Consider the U.S. Financial System Safe — Survey

• The number of Americans who have ever used cryptocurrencies increased from 18% to 22% over the year.
• However, the share of those who used them in the last 12 months remained at 13%.
• 63% of respondents believe that the U.S. financial system needs updating to counter new threats, particularly those related to AI.
• 40% of Americans are willing to try DeFi to some extent, although only 2% are well-informed about this technology.

Only 19% of Americans consider the U.S. financial system safe, while 63% advocate for its update, and 22% have already had experience using cryptocurrencies. This is evidenced by the results of a national survey conducted by the DeFi Education Fund (DEF). Infographic Incrypted.

The survey showed that despite concerns about personal data protection and the readiness of financial institutions to face AI-era threats, interest in crypto assets is growing faster than understanding of how they work.

Americans Doubt the Safety of the Financial System

According to the study, 54% of respondents fear that financial institutions are not adequately prepared to protect their personal data from AI-related threats. At the same time, 80% believe that the financial system needs to change so that people have more control over their own information.

Other survey results indicate a demand for greater autonomy in financial matters:

• 66% want access to their money at any time;
• 49% feel they personally control their financial assets;
• 74% consider financial privacy important;
• 62% would prefer to keep their personal information confidential during financial transactions.

At the same time, complete trust in regional and local banks remains low: only 7% of respondents stated that they fully trust them.

However, dissatisfaction with the traditional financial system does not automatically translate into trust in the crypto industry. According to the study, only 4% of respondents have a high level of trust in cryptocurrency exchanges, while 5% trust decentralized platforms. In comparison, large national banks are trusted by 42%, and credit unions by 48%, although the latter figure has decreased by five percentage points over the year.

Interest in Cryptocurrencies is Growing, but Users Lack Knowledge

The share of Americans who have ever owned or used cryptocurrencies increased from 18% to 22% over the year. At the same time, the usage rate of crypto assets in the last 12 months remained unchanged at 13%. This means that the overall increase was mainly due to people who had such experience before but did not use cryptocurrencies in the last year.

Among those who had not used cryptocurrencies in the past year, the share of people with experience owning or using assets increased from 5% to 11%. The intention to try cryptocurrencies in the future has hardly changed: 17% of respondents stated that they are likely to own or use them, compared to 16% a year earlier.

Men reported using cryptocurrencies more often than women in the last year — 18% versus 8%. The most common reason for first encountering crypto assets was curiosity (34%), followed by long-term investments (25%).

At the same time, awareness of decentralized finance (DeFi) remains limited. Only 2% of respondents are well-acquainted with this technology, and only 6% could correctly identify all four characteristics of cryptocurrencies listed in the survey. Another 35% were unsure how to describe cryptocurrencies.

Despite this, 40% of Americans stated that they are at least somewhat willing to try DeFi if given the opportunity. Among potential users, 85% would use such services for saving money, and 82% for transferring money to friends or relatives in the U.S. The share of those willing to save using DeFi increased from 77% in 2025, and to transfer money from 73%.

At the same time, interest in obtaining additional information about specific areas of the crypto industry has decreased: the share of those wanting to learn more about stablecoins dropped from 11% to 7%, and about DeFi from 11% to 8%.

The survey covered 1,545 adult residents of the U.S. The data were weighted for demographic and socio-economic characteristics, as well as political identification; the margin of error is about 2.8 percentage points.

The previous wave of the study was conducted from August 18-21, 2025, among 1,321 respondents.

The study was released ahead of the U.S. midterm elections. Interest in cryptocurrencies was found to be similar among supporters of both major parties: 17% of Republicans and 16% of Democrats want to learn more about them, while the experience of owning or using cryptocurrencies is held by 24% and 21%, respectively.

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