Survey: Most People Have Heard of Cryptocurrency, But Don't Have a Clue What It Is

_{A majority of American adults have heard of cryptocurrency, but most do not have an idea what it is.}

by News Desk, 05 January

A survey by next-generation cryptocurrency service platform COBINHOOD has found that a majority of American consumers have heard of cryptocurrency but most of them have no idea what the technology is.

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COBINHOOD surveyed 1,035 American adults on December 27, 2017, and was surprised that knowledge and information about cryptocurrencies and blockchain are inversely proportional

"Cryptocurrency is such a popular topic of conversation right now," stated Popo Chen, COBINHOOD CEO. "However, most people don't know what exactly cryptocurrency is or how they should interact with it.”

What is a Cryptocurrency

A cryptocurrency is defined as “a digital or virtual currency that uses cryptography for security. A cryptocurrency is difficult to counterfeit because of this security feature.” An important feature of a cryptocurrency that adds to its popularity is, it is organic in nature and is not issued by any central authority. In theory, cryptocurrencies are immune to government interference or manipulation.

COBINHOOD Survey Findings:

Among the highlights of the COBINHOOD survey are the following:

Nearly 50 percent of those polled know what cryptocurrency is. A slight majority or 56% of consumers know that it is a digital, decentralized currency designed as a medium exchange, while 22 percent is not aware that it is a digital wallet used for internet purchasing transactions. Some 14 percent thought it was the technology behind debit and credit cards, and 7 percent believed it was a digital version of government-backed money.
A huge 66 percent of American adults do not know that "ICO" stands for Initial Coin Offering.
An overwhelming 78 percent of the respondents do not know where to trade or buy cryptocurrencies
Nearly everyone thinks U.S. citizens can participate in ICOs when they cannot always do so.
There are over 1,500 cryptocurrencies, but most people are not aware of that, with 44 percent of the respondents believe there are only less than 10 in existence, while 31percent said that there are 20-50 cryptocurrencies, and 12% said that there are 1,000-1,500.