A new survey published as part of the OKX Insights series reveals a profound generational divide in attitudes toward cryptocurrency and traditional finance. The survey, which polled 1,000 Americans in January, shows younger generations are significantly more trusting of crypto platforms and view them as central to the future of finance, while older generations remain firmly aligned with traditional banks.
The trust gap is substantial. When asked to rate their trust in crypto platforms on a 10-point scale, 40% of Gen Z (aged 12–29) and 41% of Millennials (aged 29–45) gave high confidence scores of seven or above. In stark contrast, only 9% of Baby Boomers (aged late 50s to late 70s) did the same, making younger generations roughly five times more trusting. Conversely, 74% of Boomers assigned high trust scores to traditional banks, while only about one in five Gen Z and Millennial participants expressed low trust in banks.
Confidence is growing among the young. Compared to January 2025, 36% of Gen Z and 34% of Millennials reported increased trust in crypto platforms. Boomer sentiment was largely unchanged, with nearly half saying their views had not shifted and only 6% reporting greater confidence. This bullish outlook extends to future plans: 40% of Gen Z and 36% of Millennials plan to increase their crypto activity in 2026, compared to just 11% of Boomers—a nearly fourfold difference.
An OKX spokesperson explained the divide: "The trust gap is fundamentally about how different generations define trust." They noted that Boomers associate financial trust with institutional approval and regulatory oversight, while Gen Z and younger Millennials value verification, transparency, and direct control. "Regulation matters more to Boomers because their trust model is strongly tied to oversight and institutional legitimacy. So clearer rules and improved regulatory frameworks can help reduce hesitation," the spokesperson added.
The survey findings suggest a massive intergenerational wealth transfer could accelerate crypto adoption. Zac Prince, head of Galaxy Digital's banking venture Galaxy One, recently highlighted this dynamic, suggesting crypto's next growth phase could be driven as younger, more crypto-friendly generations inherit wealth. With UBS estimating Americans hold $163 trillion in total wealth—and Boomers controlling more than half ($83.3 trillion)—even a modest reallocation of this capital toward crypto by younger heirs could have an outsized impact on adoption.
