Latest Survey from Grayscale Investments® and The Harris Poll Uncovers Noticeable Increase in Percentage of American Voters Considering Candidates’ View of Crypto

Nearly three-quarters (71%) of likely voters agree: “It is critical that political leaders embrace new technologies (e.g., crypto and AI) to ensure America’s workforce remains competitive globally.”

STAMFORD, Conn., Sept. 30, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Grayscale Investments®, an asset management firm with expertise in crypto investing, offering more than 20 crypto investment products, today released the latest findings from a national longitudinal survey, 2024 Election: The Role of Crypto, conducted on its behalf by The Harris Poll. The survey builds upon the findings released in December 2023 and May 2024, and collectively captures 1800+ likely American voters' perspectives on crypto, artificial intelligence (AI), investing, the current state and future of the financial system, and how a variety of factors may be shaping voting considerations during the 2024 U.S. Election.

The latest insights from Grayscale and The Harris Poll support many of the survey findings and show that many likely American voters’ previously expressed attitudes and feelings have only continued to intensify, especially related to crypto. As Americans approach the U.S. election, the survey found that more than half of voters (56%) are more likely to vote for a candidate who is “informed about crypto” compared to one who is not, a figure which has steadily risen since May 2024 (53%) and December 2023 (48%). Similarly, two in five (40%) voters now say they are “paying attention to candidates' positions on Bitcoin and/or other crypto assets in this election compared to all other previous elections,” a sentiment that has steadily risen since December 2023, when only one in three (34%) voters said the same.

As of September 2024, partially attributable to the launch of US spot Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs*, a greater number of Americans own or believe they will own crypto in the future than they did in 2023: nearly a third (30%) of voters said ETF approval of Bitcoin made them more interested in investing in Bitcoin or other crypto assets broadly, and nearly half of voters (46%) indicated that they expect some of their investment portfolio to include crypto in the future — a notable increase since 2023 (40%).

"Crypto has certainly become a topic of discussion in the 2024 U.S. election. Voters increasingly indicate they own Bitcoin, or may own crypto in the future, and want to support future-forward political candidates that are interested in learning about crypto as an investment and emerging technology,” said Craig Salm, Grayscale’s Chief Legal Officer. "Our data reinforces that crypto transcends political party affiliations and can be a uniquely unifying issue in American politics."

Additional highlights from the September 2024 findings of the survey include:

• Crypto continues to be a nonpartisan issue: Voters once again are almost evenly split when considering if the Republican or Democratic party has the most favorable positions to support crypto. Among those who already own crypto assets, just under half (45%) of voters believe the Democratic party is more favorable (43% in May 2024), while 42% say the Republican party is more favorable (33% in May 2024).
  
• Voter interest in crypto continues to grow, and some Americans increasingly believe they will add crypto to a financial portfolio in the future: An increasing number of voters indicated they are familiar with crypto (53% in September 2024 vs. 49% in May 2024, 47% in December 2023) and when asked about their interest in crypto investing options, nearly half (45%) of voters say they are interested in Bitcoin.
  
• Voters increasingly believe that emerging technologies like crypto and AI are critical in building future financial success for American competitiveness: More than two thirds (71%) of likely voters agree that ”it is critical that political leaders embrace new technologies (e.g., crypto and AI) to ensure America remains competitive in the global financial markets.” This represents a significant increase since December 2023 (67%).
  
• Crypto investors are from increasingly diverse voting demographics: A majority (63%) of Hispanic and (68%) Black voters are interested in investing in Bitcoin as a crypto investing option, compared to only 35% of White voters. Similarly, nearly a third (30%) of Hispanic and Black (31%) voters currently own Bitcoin, compared to only 13% of White voters.
  
• Older generations are becoming more comfortable with crypto following the launch of crypto ETFs: Just under half (44%) of voters aged 35-44 and nearly a third (29%) of voters aged 45-54 say the approval of spot Bitcoin ETFs has made them more interested in investing in Bitcoin or other crypto assets.
  
• Voters increasingly want to support a candidate who is knowledgeable about crypto: More than three quarters (77%) of voters agree that “Presidential candidates should have an informed perspective on innovative technology, like AI or crypto."

Methodology

This survey was conducted online within the United States between September 4th and 6th, 2024 among 1,841 adults (aged 18 and over) who plan to vote in the 2024 presidential election by The Harris Poll on behalf of Grayscale via its Harris On Demand omnibus product.

Data were weighted where necessary by a variety of factors – including age, gender, race/ethnicity, region, education, marital status, household size, household income, employment, and propensity to be online - to bring them in line with their actual proportions in the population.

Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in Harris Poll surveys. The sampling precision of Harris online polls is measured by using a Bayesian credible interval. For this study, the sample data is accurate to within +/- 2.8 percentage points using a 95% confidence level. This credible interval may be wider among subsets of the surveyed population of interest. All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use probability sampling, are subject to other multiple sources of error, which are most often not possible to quantify or estimate, including but not limited to: coverage error, error associated with nonresponse, error associated with question wording and response options, and post-survey weighting and adjustments.

To learn more about the survey and download the full report of the findings, please visit www.grayscale.com/elections.

*We use ETF in place of ETP in order to maintain consistency in the questions asked to participants over time. Spot crypto exchange traded products are not registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (or the ’40 Act) and therefore are not subject to the same regulations and protections as 1940 Act registered ETFs and mutual funds.

About Grayscale Investments®
Grayscale enables investors to access the digital economy through a family of future-forward investment products. Founded in 2013, Grayscale has a decade-long track record and deep expertise as an asset management firm focused on crypto investing. Investors, advisors, and allocators turn to Grayscale for single asset, diversified, and thematic exposure. For more information, please follow @Grayscale or visit grayscale.com.

Media Contact
Jennifer Rosenthal
press@grayscale.com