Younger Americans back crypto as Boomers stick with banks

Younger Americans show significantly higher confidence in crypto than older generations, according to a new OKX survey.

The survey polled 1,000 US adults in January and found trust in crypto declines sharply with age.

About 40% of Gen Z and 41% of Millennials reported high trust in crypto platforms, compared with just 9% of Baby Boomers.

Trust among younger respondents has increased over the past year, while sentiment among Boomers has remained largely unchanged.

Around 40% of Gen Z and 36% of Millennials said they plan to increase crypto trading in 2026.

Only 11% of Boomers said they expect to increase their crypto activity this year.

“The trust gap is fundamentally about how different generations define trust,”

An OKX spokesperson said.

“Regulation matters more to Boomers because their trust model is strongly tied to oversight and institutional legitimacy,”

The spokesperson said.

Industry executives say the divide could narrow as wealth shifts to younger generations.

Zac Prince said an intergenerational wealth transfer could accelerate crypto adoption as younger heirs reallocate capital.

Estimates suggest Baby Boomers control more than half of total US household wealth.