Key findings

    22% of Americans own some form of cryptocurrency, and younger consumers are increasingly interested. About 35% of millennials own cryptocurrency (up from 30% in a July 2020 survey), as do 30% of Gen Zers (up from 25% in the same survey).
    46% of Americans say they regret not buying Bitcoin years ago. To that point, only 6% of current crypto investors made their first purchase in 2015 or earlier.
    62% of crypto investors think they’ll get rich off those investments. More than 1 in 10 current crypto investors have invested $10,000 or more.
    About a third (32%) of crypto investors don’t have their private key — which is needed to access their digital wallet — written down. Separately, 73% who own crypto are at least somewhat concerned about their cryptocurrency disappearing.
    71% of consumers with a significant other say they’d be mad if their partner spent a certain amount of money on cryptocurrency or NFTs. However, these consumers have varying thresholds for the amount their partner would have to spend to upset them. Just 23% would be upset if their partner spent any money on crypto.
    About 27% of Gen Zers and millennials are bidding on NFTs. Across all generations, 15% of Americans have bid on NFTs. 44% say they did so because they’re a dedicated fan of the creator.

More than 1 in 5 Americans own some form of cryptocurrency — and nearly half just got started

While cryptocurrency may seem “out there” to some, it’s becoming increasingly popular with Americans — especially younger ones. Our survey found that 22% of Americans currently own some form of cryptocurrency, and that percentage is higher among millennials and Gen Zers:

    35% of millennials currently own cryptocurrency, which is up from 30% in a July 2020 survey
    30% of Gen Zers currently own cryptocurrency, which is up from 25% in the same survey

Why are people choosing cryptocurrency? While the majority sees it as a way to invest, a significant portion see it primarily as a source of payment or form of money.

While 74% of Americans don’t own crypto and never have, it’s the older generations that appear to be the most leery.

A whopping 94% of baby boomers said they’ve never owned cryptocurrency, compared with:

    80% of Gen Xers
    60% of millennials
    60% of Gen Zers

There are two other important ways to look at this:

    26% of men currently own crypto, compared with 19% of women
    34% of those with a household income of $100,000 or more currently own crypto, compared with 14% of those with a household income below $35,000

Going beyond age, gender and income, it was 2020 when they decided to dip their toes in the crypto pond. Of those who currently own or have owned crypto, 32% said 2020 was the year they first purchased it.

About half of crypto investors only began buying cryptocurrency in 2020 or 2021, while only 6% of crypto investors made their first purchase in 2015 or earlier.

Kapfidze said there were major increases in value with all types of assets in 2020, including stocks and real estate. Crypto was among those that increased, and that may have attracted a lot of new people, which then perpetuates itself upward. He said the risk is that the same will happen on the downside if people decide it’s not the great thing they think it is.

Nearly half of Americans regret not buying Bitcoin years ago

A good portion of Americans wish they acted earlier, with 46% agreeing that they regret not buying Bitcoin years ago. Still, the majority (55%) said they had no regrets.

When you get into the crypto game, Kapfidze said, can greatly influence how well you do, as the people who join late often pay the people who came early.

“It comes down to a question of where are you in the chain in terms of whether you make or lose money,” he said. “That’s the gamble you’re taking.”

Why people are buying cryptocurrency and what they’re doing with it

Getting rich is the name of the crypto game, as 62% of crypto investors said they think it’s likely they’ll get rich off it, compared with the 18% who said it’s unlikely.

Men are the biggest believers in crypto’s potential, as 69% said they think it’s likely they’ll get rich off their investments, versus 53% of women who said the same.

But most crypto investors don’t think it’s necessarily a get-rich-quick scheme. In fact, 63% see it as a long-term investment — including 100% of baby boomers who were surveyed.

Keeping in line with that way of thinking, 50% of investors said they plan to hold their crypto and (hopefully) watch it gain value, but not everyone is on board with that.

Other top uses for crypto investments included:

    Buying gift cards
    Paying off debt
    Buying other forms of crypto or NFTs (more on those later!)

Just how much are people investing in cryptocurrency? Not a ton in most cases. In fact, 73% of those who currently own crypto have spent less than $5,000. Still, more than 1 in 10 (12%) have spent $10,000 or more on it.

To use crypto as a form of payment, some crypto owners have crypto debit cards, but the majority (62%) don’t. Of that 62%, more than 4 in 10 (41%) are thinking about getting one though.

Risky business: Nearly a third of crypto investors don’t have their private key written down

Like losing a winning lottery ticket to a gust of wind, you may not be able to access your crypto funds if you lose your private key.

You get a certain amount of tries to input your password, but you’re out of luck if you’re wrong. And it happens. In fact, The New York Times reported in January that (according to data from Chainalysis) about $140 billion worth of Bitcoin was apparently lost or in stranded wallets.

So, it’s a bit concerning that of those surveyed, 32% said they don’t have the private key written down somewhere.

Those who buy crypto tend to be a bit skeptical about its security in general. More than 7 in 10 (73%) of crypto owners said they’re concerned with their crypto disappearing.

Different risk: Getting mad at your significant other because of crypto spending

Beyond losing your crypto key, another risk of using crypto may be angering your partner. The risk is real, too, as 71% of consumers with a significant other said they’d be mad if their partner spent money on cryptocurrency or NFTs.

However, the majority of that group would be OK with them spending a smaller amount on it:

    23% would be mad if their partner spent any amount of money on crypto/NFTs
    15% would be mad if their partner spent $100
    15% would be mad if their partner spent $500
    8% would be mad if their partner spent $1,000
    11% would be mad if their partner spent $5,000
    29% wouldn’t be mad no matter how much their partner spent

While a lack of trust in crypto is the biggest reason people cite for not buying it (35%), others seem baffled by it. Another 32% said they wouldn’t know where to start and 24% said it’s too confusing.

That doesn’t mean they’re dead set against it though. Nearly 3 in 10 who’ve never invested in cryptocurrency would consider doing so at some point.

Willingness decreases with age, however, as 40% of Gen Zers who don’t invest in crypto would consider it, compared with:

    34% of millennials
    28% of Gen Xers
    21% of baby boomers

NFTs are essentially digital proof of ownership and authenticity of digital collectible items, such as video art, original memes, tweets and virtual trading cards. They’re not extremely popular at this point, but perhaps more so than you might think — particularly with younger generations.

They’re also slightly more popular with men (17%) than women (14%).

The reasons people said they purchase NFTs varied:

    Dedicated fan of the creator (44%)
    Just to see what they’re all about (36%)
    Really into other forms of collectibles (21%)
    Predict its value will increase over time (19%)
    For clout or to look good on social media (18%)

Because each NFT is unique, Kapfidze said their value depends on how many others are interested in them.

As many of them are related to art, he compares NFTs to collecting art. Most art doesn’t appreciate in value significantly, but a few key pieces may, which is why art collectors often have large portfolios with hopes that those that gain value will make up for those that lose value.

Of course, you don’t know that in advance, so it’s a game of odds. Kapfdize said that may be one way to approach NFTs — buying them in large numbers to try to mitigate risk.

MagnifyMoney commissioned Qualtrics to field an online survey of 1,048 Americans, conducted March 18-24, 2021. The survey was administered using a non-probability-based sample, and quotas were used to ensure the sample base represented the overall population. All responses were reviewed by researchers for quality control.

We defined generations as the following ages in 2021:

    Generation Z: 18 to 24
    Millennial: 25 to 40
    Generation X: 41 to 55
    Baby boomer: 56 to 75

While the survey also included consumers from the silent generation (defined as those 76 and older), the sample size was too small to include findings related to that group in the generational breakdowns

God, I hope not. I can't wait for the bubble to pop.