A new Ipsos survey found that only 19% of Americans strongly agree with the security of the U.S. financial system, while only 5% have high trust in decentralized platforms.
5% of users have high trust in decentralized platforms, compared to 42% for large national banks.
- The proportion of individuals who have ever held or used cryptocurrency is 22%, but the participation rate over the past year remains at 13%.
74% of Americans consider financial privacy important, and 62% prefer to keep their personal information private in financial transactions.
Among respondents willing to try DeFi, 85% cited saving money as their primary motivation, while only 24% cited using cryptocurrency lending as a motivation.
This national study, commissioned by the DeFi Education Foundation and conducted by Ipsos KnowledgePanel, was carried out from September 8 to 16, 2026, surveying 1,545 U.S. adults. Ipsos states that the sample was selected using probability-based sampling and weighted to reflect the U.S. adult population, with a margin of sampling error of ±2.8 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.
The core research findings show that 42% of respondents fully or highly trust large national banks, 41% trust regional or community banks, and 48% trust credit unions.
Despite control requirements, trust in DeFi remains lower than in banks.
Regarding trust in regulatory authorities, 73% of respondents expressed little or no trust in decentralized platforms that allow users to retain control of their funds. An additional 19% expressed some trust, while the combined percentage of those reporting “complete” or “high” trust was 5%.
In Ipsos’s results, only 2% of respondents indicated they were very or extremely familiar with DeFi; in comparison, 9% and 5% reported being very or extremely familiar with cryptocurrencies and stablecoins, respectively. The proportion of respondents unfamiliar or somewhat unfamiliar with DeFi remained at 92%, unchanged from the survey conducted in August 2025.
For banks, the results showed a significant proportion of respondents answered "some trust." Ipsos recorded that 36% of respondents have some trust in national banks, and 38% have some trust in regional or community banks. The percentages indicating little or no trust were 20% and 18%, respectively.
When asked about the financial services available to them, half of the respondents reported being very or extremely satisfied, and an additional 36% reported being moderately satisfied, based on the aggregated survey data. This question covered banking, investment services, and payment apps.
19% of respondents strongly or somewhat agree with the statement “The current U.S. financial system is secure.” Ipsos recorded that 3% found it extremely consistent with their views, 16% found it very consistent, and 47% found it somewhat consistent; meanwhile, 31% found it not very consistent or not at all consistent.
Cryptocurrency usage experience reached 22%, but recent usage rates have stabilized.
The foundation’s research page shows that 22% of Americans have ever owned or used cryptocurrency, up from 18% in 2025. However, in the original survey, the percentage of respondents who owned or used cryptocurrency within the past 12 months remained at 13% in both surveys.
Among respondents with cryptocurrency experience, Ipsos recorded that 34% listed "curiosity" as a reason for owning or using cryptocurrency. A quarter mentioned long-term investment, 18% mentioned short-term investment, and 8% mentioned purchasing or paying. Respondents could select multiple reasons.
Previous polls measured different criteria for ownership. In July 2025, crypto.news reported that Gallup found 14% of U.S. adults held cryptocurrency at the time of its survey. Gallup’s poll, conducted from June 2 to 15, 2025, asked about current ownership, while the new foundation’s headline figure includes former holders and individuals who have ever used cryptocurrency.
Gallup's original results showed that 4% of U.S. adults intend to purchase, 17% expressed interest but have no plans to buy in the near term, and 60% reported no interest in purchasing. The report also indicated that 35% of respondents said they have some understanding of cryptocurrency.
Support for financial privacy exceeds familiarity with DeFi.
In this Ipsos study, privacy received strong support across multiple questions. 74% of respondents considered financial privacy important, and 62% preferred to keep their personal information private in financial transactions.
Of the data in the research page stating "giving people more control over their personal data," 80% consolidated varying levels of consent. In the aggregated survey, 44% of respondents indicated that this statement was either extremely or very consistent with their views, and 36% said it was somewhat consistent.
Concerns about emerging threats also appear in the same set of tables. Ipsos found that 63% of respondents strongly support upgrading the financial system to address threats such as cybercrime or artificial intelligence; 54% are concerned that financial institutions are unprepared to protect personal information from AI-related threats.
Developers have introduced privacy features to existing DeFi applications. On October 13, StarkWare announced the launch of Shadow Accounts on Starknet, enabling application activities to be conducted through addresses without publicly linking them to users' primary wallets. The company stated that balances and transactions will still be visible on-chain.
After respondents understood the features, interest in trying DeFi rose to 40%.
When asked if they would try DeFi if it were available, 40% of Ipsos respondents indicated they would at least somewhat consider trying it, with 10% saying they were very likely or extremely likely to do so. The questionnaire posed this question after introducing DeFi features such as control over funds and data, access to transactions, and international transfers.
Among those who at least somewhat likely to try, 85% believe saving money could be one use, 82% believe sending money to friends or family within the U.S. could be one use, and 82% believe earning interest could be one use. Ipsos also showed that 24% use crypto tokens for lending.
In the follow-up question, the survey described a proposed law requiring many crypto companies to register and disclose information, stating that consumers would receive greater protection. After this description, 42% indicated they were at least somewhat likely to try DeFi, while 10% remained very likely or extremely likely.
In another policy issue, Ipsos found that 35% of respondents considered candidates encouraging the development of U.S. fintech to be “extremely important” or “very important,” while only 13% gave this rating to candidates encouraging blockchain, cryptocurrency, and DeFi themselves.
Outside the United States, French authorities have proposed security obligations for DeFi platforms in their consultation with the European Commission on MiCA, as reported on October 21. Their proposal would require intermediaries to assess protocols before providing access and monitor for vulnerabilities afterward; failure to conduct adequate checks or ignoring known risks could result in liability.