U.S. retirement survey finds broad resistance to crypto options in workplace plans

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Retirement survey: crypto resistance

Highlights

77% of Americans surveyed in late 2025 view cryptocurrency as risky for workplace retirement plans, and 53% oppose employers offering crypto investment options.
U.S. Department of Labor in May and August 2025 rescinded previous cryptocurrency discouragements, adopting a neutral stance and prompting policy shifts under President Trump's executive order to expand alternative assets in retirement plans.
In March 2026, the Labor Department proposed rules for including alternative assets such as crypto in 401(k)s, but lawmakers including Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and Bobby Scott urged withdrawal due to perceived volatility and lack of safeguards.

Survey findings and retirement concerns

As reported by Cointelegraph, citing the National Institute on Retirement Security, 77% of Americans say cryptocurrency in workplace retirement plans is risky, including 46% who describe it as very risky. The survey also finds that 53% oppose employers offering crypto as an investment option in retirement plans.

The same survey shows broader anxiety about long-term savings. Eighty percent of respondents say the U.S. faces a retirement crisis, up from 67% in 2020, while 61% say they are concerned about achieving financial security in retirement.

Affordability pressures are also weighing on saving behavior. Sixty-eight percent say it is becoming harder to prepare for retirement, and 77% say debt prevents them from saving adequately.

The survey was conducted by Greenwald Research between Oct. 24 and Nov. 14, 2025, among 1,203 Americans aged 25 and older, with results weighted by age, gender and income.

Policy shifts keep crypto in 401(k) debate

The public skepticism contrasts with moves by the Trump administration and federal regulators to broaden access to alternative assets in retirement accounts. Those steps are bringing crypto and other nontraditional investments more directly into the U.S. retirement savings debate.

The U.S. Department of Labor rescinded guidance in May 2025 that had urged 401(k) fiduciaries to exercise extreme care when considering cryptocurrency investments. It returned to a neutral approach that neither endorses nor discourages crypto in retirement plan investment menus.

On Aug. 7, 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at expanding access to alternative assets in defined-contribution retirement plans, including investment vehicles that hold digital assets. The order also directs the Labor Department and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to consider regulatory changes to facilitate that access.

A few days later, the Labor Department rescinded 2021 guidance that had discouraged 401(k) fiduciaries from considering alternative assets, saying investment decisions should instead be evaluated under a neutral, principles-based approach.

More recently, in March 2026, the Labor Department proposed rules outlining how 401(k) fiduciaries could include alternative assets in investment lineups. The proposal includes safe harbors intended to reduce litigation risks while requiring consideration of fees, liquidity, valuation and performance.

The proposal is facing pushback from lawmakers. Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, along with Representative Bobby Scott, urge the Labor Department in June to withdraw it, citing crypto's volatility and what they describe as insufficient investor safeguards.

Americans’ affordability pressures on essentials were the focus of our earlier article, which highlighted widespread cutbacks and ongoing strain from grocery, housing, and childcare costs. It also noted that these cost-of-living stresses are shaping political and economic priorities ahead of the U.S. midterms, keeping household purchasing power and financial security in the spotlight.

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