Only 4% of US Voters Consider Crypto in Election Decisions: Poll

US adults remain largely cautious about crypto and view it as the least important policy issue when deciding who to support in elections, according to a poll conducted by POLITICO.

Only 4% of Americans surveyed said they would consider a political candidate’s position on crypto policy when deciding how to vote.

Affordable housing, protection against consumer fraud, and lower banking fees ranked as the top three issues respondents wanted Congress to address, according to a survey of 2,035 US adults released Wednesday by POLITICO and conducted by polling firm Public First.

Only 18% of respondents viewed establishing rules for the crypto market as a top priority for Congress, placing it just one percentage point ahead of regulating large banks.

The findings highlight a gap between the priorities of average American voters and those of crypto industry lobbyists, who have continued urging Congress to approve crypto legislation before the upcoming midterm elections.

Crypto lobbying groups contributed more than $130 million to the 2024 elections — the highest amount spent by any industry — and have already directed $320 million toward influencing the November midterm elections, according to data compiled by researcher Molly White.

Crypto lobbying groups have openly indicated that their substantial financial resources will be used against candidates who do not support the industry, with more than $5.5 million already spent opposing candidates in congressional races across Illinois this year.

Less Than One-Third of Americans Oppose Mainstream Crypto Adoption

According to the survey, only 27% of respondents said they support or strongly support government efforts to legitimize crypto as a mainstream financial asset in the US, while 31% said they oppose or strongly oppose such measures.

“Most voters don’t care about digital assets,” Republican Representative Dusty Johnson told POLITICO. “But those who do care a lot. It is a high-intensity issue. And I think it’s going a little bit more mainstream. The number of people who ask me about it is still very small, but I would say growing.”

More than half of respondents said they have not traded crypto and do not plan to do so, while 19% reported having traded digital assets. Among crypto traders, 7% said a political candidate’s position on crypto policy would influence their voting decision.

The poll also showed that 45% of respondents considered crypto investing a risk not worth taking, even with the possibility of high returns, while 25% said the potential rewards made the risk worthwhile.

The latest survey contrasts with another poll of 2,008 registered voters released Friday by HarrisX, which found that 47% of respondents said they would be at least somewhat likely to support a candidate outside their preferred party if that candidate backed long-awaited crypto legislation designed to establish a regulatory framework for the industry.

The Senate Banking Committee is scheduled to vote Thursday on whether to advance the bill, which has involved negotiations between the White House, crypto lobbyists, and banking groups. A House version of the legislation was passed in June under the name CLARITY Act.