Ipsos Poll Finds Only 19% View U.S. Financial System as Secure

The DeFi Education Foundation released an Ipsos survey Tuesday, Oct. 27, showing that 19% of U.S. adults considered the existing financial system secure, down from 29% in the survey’s 2025 wave.

The survey also found that 80% said changes should give people more control over their personal data. Seventy-four percent said people need more control over their money or assets.

Forty percent said they were at least somewhat likely to try decentralized finance (DeFi) if it were available, the same share as in 2025. Ten percent said they were very or extremely likely to try it.

Those answers measured hypothetical interest, not actual use. Separately, 22% said they had owned or used crypto, up from 18% in the 2025 wave. Nine percent said they were very or extremely familiar with crypto.

Trust readings were higher for traditional financial providers. Forty-eight percent reported a lot or complete trust in credit unions, compared with 42% for large national banks and 41% for regional or community banks.

“Americans have doubts about whether today’s financial system is meeting their needs, driven by concerns about privacy, personal control, and security,” said Alec Tyson, senior vice president and lead pollster for Ipsos Public Affairs.

Ipsos surveyed 1,545 U.S. adults ages 18 and older through KnowledgePanel from Sept. 8-16. The reported margin of error was 2.8 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.