Younger Americans are becoming increasingly confident in cryptocurrency, while older generations continue to favor traditional finance, according to a new survey released as part of the OKX Insights series.
The January survey of 1,000 Americans revealed a clear generational gap in trust, expectations and outlook toward digital assets. The younger the respondent, the more likely they were to see crypto as credible today and central to the future of finance.
When asked about trust in crypto platforms, 40% of Gen Z (ages 12–29) and 41% of Millennials (ages 29–45) reported high confidence, rating their trust at seven or higher on a 10-point scale. By contrast, only 9% of Baby Boomers (late 50s to late 70s) expressed similar levels of trust, making younger generations roughly five times more confident in crypto than their older counterparts.
Conversely, 74% of Boomers said they place high trust in traditional banks. Younger respondents were far more skeptical, with about one in five Gen Z and Millennial participants indicating low trust in banks.
Gen Z and Millennials grow more confident in crypto
Confidence among younger generations is also increasing over time. Compared with January 2025, 36% of Gen Z and 34% of Millennials said their trust in crypto platforms had risen. Among Baby Boomers, sentiment remained largely stable, with nearly half reporting no change in their views and just 6% expressing greater confidence.
Looking ahead to 2026, trading intentions reflect the same divide. About 40% of Gen Z and 36% of Millennials plan to increase their crypto activity this year, compared with only 11% of Boomers — a nearly fourfold gap in bullish sentiment.
“The trust gap is fundamentally about how different generations define trust,” an OKX spokesperson said. While Boomers tend to link financial trust to institutional backing and regulatory oversight, Gen Z and younger Millennials place more emphasis on verification, transparency and direct control.
“Regulation matters more to Boomers because their trust model is closely tied to oversight and institutional legitimacy,” the spokesperson added. “Clearer rules and stronger regulatory frameworks could help reduce hesitation, particularly around consumer protection, custody standards and market integrity.”
Wealth transfer could accelerate crypto adoption
The generational divide highlighted in the OKX survey may also explain why some industry leaders see crypto adoption as a matter of timing.
Speaking recently on the Milk Road show, Zac Prince, head of Galaxy Digital’s banking venture Galaxy One, said the next phase of crypto growth could be fueled by an intergenerational transfer of wealth. As older, more crypto-skeptical generations pass on assets, younger heirs are more likely to allocate capital to digital assets.
UBS estimates that Americans hold $163 trillion in total wealth, with Baby Boomers controlling more than half — about $83.3 trillion. Prince suggested that once this wealth begins shifting to younger generations, even a small reallocation toward crypto could have an outsized effect on adoption.
