U.S. Republicans lead Democrats in crypto adoption, Pew data shows

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Republicans lead in crypto adoption

Highlights

Pew Research Center data shows 22% of Republicans have used crypto compared to 17% of Democrats, based on a January survey of 8,512 U.S. adults.
Since 2021, Republican crypto adoption has increased six percentage points to 22%, while Democratic usage remained flat, widening the partisan gap in 2024.
Analysts attribute the shift to Republican-aligned policy preferences such as deregulation and Donald Trump's recent pro-crypto stance, including pushing for crypto firms to become banks.

Polling data points to widening partisan split

As reported by Pew Research Center, about 22% of Republicans say they have invested in, traded or used a cryptocurrency such as bitcoin or ether, compared with 17% of Democrats. The poll surveyed 8,512 U.S. adults at the end of January and indicates that the partisan gap has widened in recent years.

Before 2026, Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents were about as likely as Republicans and Republican-leaning independents to say they had held crypto, according to Pew's data. Since 2021, however, crypto use among Republicans has risen by six percentage points from 16%, while Democratic usage has not changed.

Eli Yokley, a U.S. politics analyst at Morning Consult, says the divide began to emerge around mid-2023 and accelerated around the 2024 election. He describes the difference in adoption between the two groups as a substantial partisan gap.

Trump ties and industry politics shape adoption

Analysts and industry advocates say crypto's ideological roots help explain why Republican adoption is rising faster. Colin McLaren, head of government relations at the Solana Policy Institute, says the sector has long carried a libertarian streak built around skepticism of centralized power and government solutions, a posture he says aligns more naturally with the political right.

Others point to policy preferences in the sector. Rick Claypool, research director at Public Citizen, says crypto industry priorities such as deregulation and lighter enforcement have generally leaned toward corporate-friendly policies more often associated with Republicans.

President Donald Trump’s changing position on crypto also appears to be a factor in the shift. After saying in 2019 that he was not a fan of crypto because it was unregulated and could facilitate unlawful behavior, Trump later embraced digital assets, while the White House during his second term pushes to make the U.S. the crypto capital of the world, including steps that Pew says would allow crypto firms to become banks.

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