New study by Massachusetts Division of Banks reveals 18% of consumers "likely" to use bitcoin

In a new report published by the Massachusetts Division of Banks (MDB) and the Conference of State Bank Supervisors (CSBS), researchers found that 18% consumers in an online survey were either “likely” or “very likely” to use bitcoin or other digital currencies in the near future. The report, 2014 Consumer Survey: Consumer Attitudes on Bitcoin and Other Virtual Currencies (PDF), also noted that likely adoption was considerably higher among 18-to-24 year olds, with 43% saying they would be “very likely” or “somewhat likely” to purchase bitcoins, compared to only 8% of those older than 55. The survey polled reactions from over 1,000 people, giving the results a 3.2 percent margin of error.

Interestingly, the survey also suggested that bitcoin adoption in minority communities may be greater than in the white population, with 30% of Hispanics and 24% of African American respondents saying they were at least “somewhat likely” to purchase bitcoins. The survey also noted that households with less than $100,000 income per year were significantly more likely to purchase bitcoins (19%) than those above the $100K threshold (11%).

Considering that only a slight majority of respondents, 51%, had even heard of bitcoin or other digital currencies, those numbers suggest a largely undiscussed awareness of, and interest in, digital currencies by the lower-income, non-white population.

The report noted that only 87 total respondents out of the 1,000 polled said they would “never use bitcoins,” and a significant number (around 5% of the total) expressed confusion about the purpose, value and security of digital currency. In addition to skepticism about bitcoin itself, the report also suggests that there is still a clear gender divide in bitcoin awareness, with male respondents being much more likely to be aware of digital currency (64%) as female ones (38%).