A newly released survey from the National Institute on Retirement Security finds that 53% of Americans oppose employers offering cryptocurrency in workplace retirement plans, while 77% describe such investments as risky—including 46% who call them “very risky.” The poll, conducted by Greenwald Research from Oct. 24 through Nov. 14, 2025, included 1,203 U.S. residents aged 25 and older and was weighted by age, gender and income.
The crypto question sits within broader retirement anxiety. The survey shows 80% of Americans believe the U.S. faces a retirement crisis, up from 67% in 2020. Another 61% worry about financial security in retirement, 68% say preparing for retirement has become harder, and 77% say debt prevents them from saving enough. NIRS separately estimates the median retirement savings balance among U.S. workers is below $1,000.
The public caution contrasts with federal policy movement. In May 2025, the Department of Labor withdrew guidance that had told fiduciaries to use “extreme care” before adding crypto to investment menus. On Aug. 7, 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order on alternative assets, covering digital-asset vehicles as well as private equity, private credit and real estate. Five days later, the Labor Department rescinded a 2021 statement on private equity and certain alternatives.
In March 2026, the Labor Department proposed a rule explaining how fiduciaries could evaluate alternative assets for workplace retirement plans. The framework, affecting more than 90 million retirement savers, would require fiduciaries to examine performance, fees, liquidity, valuation, redemption terms and participants’ ability to understand an investment. It would not force employers to add crypto, private equity or private credit.
Political resistance has followed. In June, Democratic lawmakers—Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Bobby Scott—asked the Labor Department to withdraw the proposal. They argued that cryptocurrency could expose workers to price volatility, fraud and weaker safeguards than public securities, writing that “the application of securities laws to crypto assets is rapidly evolving.”
A May Federal Reserve survey found 10% of U.S. adults used or held cryptocurrency in 2025, up from 7% in 2024. Even among respondents open to digital assets, many would prefer to hold such investments outside employer-sponsored plans. “Retirement accounts are meant to provide security, not to expose workers to the kind of price swings we see in crypto markets,” one retirement planning expert said. The Labor Department’s proposal remains subject to the federal rulemaking process.
