About 78% of Americans say investing in cryptocurrency is unpleasant

Despite all the hype about cryptocurrency, the majority of Americans say it’s uncomfortable for them to invest in it. Bankrate’s 2025 Long-term Investment Survey. Four in five Americans (78%) say they’re not comfortable putting investment dollars into Crypto.

So, what makes Americans uncomfortable with cryptocurrency? And what other investments have proven attractive and long-term return track record? Let’s take a look.

Americans remain unpleasant with cryptocurrency

Bankrate’s long-term investment research clearly shows that Americans feel that mostly unpleasant investments are made Bitcoin It was another cryptocurrency, and only a relatively small percentage was used to them. Here’s how the results of the survey collapse:

• Very comfortable – 5%
• Slightly comfortable – 15%
• Too comfortable – 28%
• Not at all comfortable – 49%
• Didn’t hear – 2%

The 2025 results were similar to the results of the same survey in 2022, when Bankrate last conducted it. In 2022, 21% of Americans were “very” or “somewhat” comfortable, while 75% were “too comfortable” or “not comfortable at all.”

Younger generations tend to be more comfortable with cryptocurrencies. In a 2025 survey, around 28% of Gen Z said they were “very comfortable” or “somewhat comfortable” compared to 30% of millennials, 21% of Gen X and 6% of boomers.

Risks of investing in cryptocurrency

Bankrate surveys did not ask respondents to specifically state why they were uncomfortable with investing in cryptocurrency, but provided at least one clue. So the research asked Americans why they didn’t choose stocks as their best investment, and the biggest reason was their outstanding volatility. Volatility – stirring your stomach up and down investments – makes investing difficult for many traders.

Volatility

Stock is well known for its volatility, but cryptocurrency is in Spades.

“The movement of cryptocurrency prices is largely emotionally driven due to a lack of traditional fundamentals such as cash flow,” said Greg McBride, Bankrate Chief Financial Analyst. “We also have a crypto price because emotions change wildly.”

For example, during a lifetime of about 16 years, Bitcoin has lost 60% of its value Three different calendar years. This level of volatility scares investors and drives them out of the investment after losing money as a crypto yo-yo price.

Cryptocurrency is not supported by anything

It is important to understand that Cryptocurrency (In most cases) unlike traditional investments, they are not supported by the underlying business assets or cash flows. Most cryptocurrency prices are based solely on trader sentiment, and we expect crypto coins to rise or fall in value. Once the demand for coins disappears, the coins literally lose value.

So the only thing that will increase the price of a crypto is to draw more money. That is to exaggerate it and try to create more excitement. for example, Many crypto analysts just issue larger and larger price targets For popular coins like Bitcoin, it helps maintain the excitement that crypto will rise in the future and can withdraw more investment dollars than it does today.

From this perspective, it makes very reasonable that Americans are unpleasantly investing in cryptocurrency.

Lack of knowledge and regulations

Many Americans, perhaps the young people who are most comfortable with cryptography, may lack the knowledge and expertise to see the risk of investing in assets based on nothing.

Cryptocurrency has been around for years, but many people still have what it is, and why Most Popular Cryptocurrencies It appears to be rising (it’s falling). Bitcoin has seen its prices rise many times, but thousands of other cryptocurrencies have gone nowhere. Completely fraud and explosionspends billions of dollars on investors.

The crypto market is not effectively regulated. This means that anyone can create cryptocurrency, and investors have little protection. Again, literally anyone can create and raise funds, and while many estimates show that over 20,000 cryptocurrencies are traded in exchange, some estimates have brought millions of existing cryptocurrencies.

Promotion of crime

Cryptocurrency is also infamously used by many criminals, making it easier to commit crimes such as terror and money laundering. Semi-anonymity of cryptocurrencies and their finality – when you send cryptocurrencies, it’s gone forever – making it easier for criminals to use crypto to trade their businesses.

Alternative investments in cryptocurrency

Unlike most cryptocurrencies, Americans have many proven alternative investments that have a strong record of returns.

stock

Stock market measured in S&P 500 Stock Price Indexhas provided a return of about 10% per year over time. Best long-term investment. In fact, Bankrate’s 2025 long-term investment survey found that Americans chose the stock market as a long-term investment in money that doesn’t require more than a decade.

“In crypto, the return on investment is only dependent on the price that rises from what you paid for it,” says McBride. “However, shares represent actual ownership of the company, and cash flows can be reinvested in the company, used to make acquisitions, or returned to shareholders through dividends and share buybacks.”

Stocks are partial ownership of a company, and the performance of the stock is driven over time by the performance of the business. Anyone can own successful companies such as Amazon (AMZN), Alphabet (GOOG, GOOGL), and Apple (AAPL). Long-term returns reflect the success of your business. Plus, if you need to generate income, you can invest Dividend Stocks Enjoy cash flow.

“Studies show that over a long period of investment, dividends accounted for around 40% of investors’ total revenue,” says McBride. “This not only allows you to make money in the flat market, but reinvest those dividends is an even more wealth complex.”

real estate

Real estate is another popular investment, regularly amongst Americans’ most preferred investments, and appears second in the bank rate survey. Real estate has produced attractive benefits over time, whether it is a major residence or an investment property. Especially for those who can avoid significant transaction costs and taxes for decades. Real estate is a great way to generate income and offers cash every month.

Real estate investments are supported by real estate, unlike cryptocurrency investments.

Bonds

Bonds Unlike cryptocurrencies, it is a relatively safe type of asset that is also backed up by corporate or government assets and cash flows. With bonds, you invest, earn interest during the life of the bond, and receive face value on the bond when it matures. For example, bonds are an attractive place if you need to generate income for retirees.

Bonds are less known for their value-value, but they are proven long-term investments.

Investment funds

Investment Funds – Whether they are mutual funds or exchange trade funds (ETFs) – Provides attractive long-term returns. These funds own stocks and bond stocks, and the total revenue of the fund reflects the performance of their investments. some The best ETF Buy high-growth stocks and exacerbate your wealth for years.

“Individual investors have been well served by regular contributions to the wide range of low-cost index funds that have been reinvested and held over the years,” says McBride.

Investment funds also own dozens, and sometimes hundreds of investments, reducing the risk of a single investment and reducing the volatility of the fund. These funds are supported by investments supported by actual underlying company assets and cash flows.

“Use this as a blueprint,” says McBride. “You can instantly diversify from the first dollar you invest, the rock bottom investment costs, the investments with low or no minimum investments, and with regular automatic contributions and reinvestment of all distributions, you can easily build your position over time.”

Conclusion

Most Americans remain uncomfortable investing in cryptocurrency, and the risk of investing in it remains incredibly high, including the fact that it is not supported at all. In contrast, Americans have many other investments with a strong track record of proven returns.