Key Takeaways
- • Coinbase estimates 45% of Millennials and 39% of Gen Z adults in the U.S. own some form of cryptocurrency, versus roughly 5-10% of Baby Boomers, according to the primary source's compilation of surveys.
- • A January 2026 OKX-sponsored survey of 1,000 participants found 40% of Gen Z and 41% of Millennials feel confident in crypto platforms, compared with 27% of Gen X and 9% of Baby Boomers.
- • Cerulli Associates projects $84.4 trillion will transfer from Baby Boomers and older generations to younger heirs through 2045, a shift the article identifies as the largest potential driver of future crypto demand.
- • CoinCentral estimates $160 billion to $225 billion could flow into crypto markets if the wealth transfer occurred today, based on younger generations' 3.5x to 5x higher adoption rates.
- • A 2025 peer-reviewed study in Personality and Individual Differences (Honold and Oh) found conscientiousness and agreeableness negatively predict crypto investment willingness, with age a strong independent predictor.
Summary
The gap in cryptocurrency ownership and trust between younger and older Americans is wide and, according to the article, growing. Coinbase estimates that 45% of Millennials and 39% of Gen Z adults own some form of crypto, while Gen X sits at roughly 10-15% and Baby Boomers at 5-10%. Pew Research found 28% of adults aged 18-29 have invested in, traded, or used crypto, compared with 8% of those aged 50 and older. YouGov's 2025 data showed 42% of Gen Z investors hold crypto while only 11% hold a retirement account. Across five surveys compiled by CoinCentral, Millennial adoption averages about five times the Baby Boomer rate.
Trust follows a similar pattern. A January 2026 OKX-sponsored survey of 1,000 participants found 40% of Gen Z and 41% of Millennials feel confident in crypto platforms, versus 27% of Gen X and 9% of Baby Boomers. Between 2025 and 2026, 36% of Gen Z and 34% of Millennials reported increased trust in cryptocurrency, compared with 16% of Gen X and 6% of Boomers. Younger investors cite accessibility and easy-to-use apps, while older investors point to security concerns and the lack of protections such as FDIC insurance. Forbes reporting found half of young, wealthy investors have considered or made a switch in financial advisers over advisers' reluctance to support crypto.
The article identifies the wealth transfer as a potentially larger driver of crypto markets than new retail adoption. Cerulli Associates projects $84.4 trillion will move from Baby Boomers and older generations to younger heirs through 2045, including an estimated $53 trillion from Boomers and $16 trillion from the Silent Generation. As of Q2 2023, Boomers and older Americans held $95.6 trillion, roughly two-thirds of U.S. household wealth, according to Federal Reserve Survey of Consumer Finances data cited in the article. CoinCentral estimates $160 billion to $225 billion would flow into crypto if the transfer occurred today, though the article notes the transfer will not reach all Millennials equally: Cerulli estimates 42% of transfers will come from the top 1.5% of households by wealth. A BNY Mellon survey cited in the article found younger wealthy investors allocate an average of 5% of portfolios to crypto, compared with 1% for North American family offices.
The Honold and Oh study, published in Personality and Individual Differences in 2025 and based on a survey of 208 U.S. adults collected in May 2024, found conscientiousness and agreeableness negatively predicted willingness to invest in crypto. Openness was not statistically significant, and age was a strong independent predictor, with men's enthusiasm declining more sharply with age than women's. Men remain more than three times as likely as women to invest in crypto. Generational usage patterns also diverge: per a FINRA and CFA survey, 44% of Gen Z investors started their investing through crypto, with a median $1,000 in crypto against $4,000 total median holdings, while an Investopedia survey found 38% of Millennials held crypto versus 37% who held individual stocks. Boomers focus primarily on Bitcoin for wealth preservation and typically prefer custodial solutions or ETFs following the SEC's January 2024 approval of spot Bitcoin ETFs.
Trust follows a similar pattern. A January 2026 OKX-sponsored survey of 1,000 participants found 40% of Gen Z and 41% of Millennials feel confident in crypto platforms, versus 27% of Gen X and 9% of Baby Boomers. Between 2025 and 2026, 36% of Gen Z and 34% of Millennials reported increased trust in cryptocurrency, compared with 16% of Gen X and 6% of Boomers. Younger investors cite accessibility and easy-to-use apps, while older investors point to security concerns and the lack of protections such as FDIC insurance. Forbes reporting found half of young, wealthy investors have considered or made a switch in financial advisers over advisers' reluctance to support crypto.
The article identifies the wealth transfer as a potentially larger driver of crypto markets than new retail adoption. Cerulli Associates projects $84.4 trillion will move from Baby Boomers and older generations to younger heirs through 2045, including an estimated $53 trillion from Boomers and $16 trillion from the Silent Generation. As of Q2 2023, Boomers and older Americans held $95.6 trillion, roughly two-thirds of U.S. household wealth, according to Federal Reserve Survey of Consumer Finances data cited in the article. CoinCentral estimates $160 billion to $225 billion would flow into crypto if the transfer occurred today, though the article notes the transfer will not reach all Millennials equally: Cerulli estimates 42% of transfers will come from the top 1.5% of households by wealth. A BNY Mellon survey cited in the article found younger wealthy investors allocate an average of 5% of portfolios to crypto, compared with 1% for North American family offices.
The Honold and Oh study, published in Personality and Individual Differences in 2025 and based on a survey of 208 U.S. adults collected in May 2024, found conscientiousness and agreeableness negatively predicted willingness to invest in crypto. Openness was not statistically significant, and age was a strong independent predictor, with men's enthusiasm declining more sharply with age than women's. Men remain more than three times as likely as women to invest in crypto. Generational usage patterns also diverge: per a FINRA and CFA survey, 44% of Gen Z investors started their investing through crypto, with a median $1,000 in crypto against $4,000 total median holdings, while an Investopedia survey found 38% of Millennials held crypto versus 37% who held individual stocks. Boomers focus primarily on Bitcoin for wealth preservation and typically prefer custodial solutions or ETFs following the SEC's January 2024 approval of spot Bitcoin ETFs.
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