Only 3% of US adults describe themselves as extremely or very familiar with tokenized assets, according to an Ipsos survey commissioned by the DeFi Education Fund (DEF), a crypto policy and advocacy group. Between 89% and 90% of respondents said they were not very familiar or not at all familiar with the concept.
Ipsos fielded the poll from September 8 to 16, 2026, surveying 1,545 US adults.
General crypto awareness remains limited
Familiarity with crypto overall was also low. Just 9% of respondents said they were extremely or very familiar with crypto, down slightly from 10% in 2025.
Ownership told a somewhat different story: the share of adults who have ever owned or used crypto rose to 22% from 18%. Recent activity, however, was unchanged, with 13% saying they had used crypto in the past year.
Low trust, high interest in control
The survey also probed attitudes toward the traditional financial system. Only 19% of respondents said they view the current US financial system as secure, while 74% said they want more individual control over their money and assets.
Familiarity with decentralized finance was even lower than with tokenization. DeFi refers to financial services such as lending and trading that run on blockchain software rather than through banks, and just 2% of respondents said they knew it well.
Even so, 40% said they would be at least somewhat likely to try DeFi if it were available to them.
Question framing shifts the picture
The Ipsos findings differ sharply from an earlier poll. A HarrisX/CTM survey conducted in May 2026 found that 31% of respondents were familiar with tokenization before being given a definition.
Part of the gap likely reflects how each poll asked the question. Ipsos measured people who called themselves extremely or very familiar, a high bar, while a looser definition of familiarity naturally captures more people, including those who have merely heard the term.
Implications for policy
The survey's sponsor is notable: DEF advocates for decentralized finance policy and the results offer the group talking points in Washington. The combination of low trust in the existing system and strong appetite for personal control is a framing advocates will likely lean on, with the finding that 74% want more control fitting arguments for clearer DeFi rules.
Regulators may read the same data differently. The fact that 40% would try DeFi while only 2% understand it could be cited as evidence that consumers need stronger guardrails before doing so.
