Age seems to be a factor too: older Americans were more likely to be opposed to bitcoin than young Americans. Only 22% of respondents over the age of 65 were OK with other people using bitcoin. Among 18-24 year olds, 59% said it should be allowed.The results match up with a previous survey by Harris Interactive, which found a similar reduction in support among older people, and another survey by GfK, which found that 57% of 18-25 year olds thought bitcoin benefits the global economy.Generally, bitcoin supporters were likely to be young and politically independent, with people identifying as Democrats or Republicans less likely to say that bitcoin should be permitted than people identifying as independent.“This is part of a larger trend we’re observing with this generation: socially liberal with undecided economic views, but cares deeply about personalization and individual autonomy,” said Ekins.
As might be expected, a majority of people identified by Reason-Rupe as libertarians supported the use of bitcoin.Surprisingly, though, 39% of libertarians said they would not allow the use of bitcoin – a result that may arise from the fact that Reason-Rupe grouped people under political labels based on questions about the “appropriate scope and power of government,” instead of asking people to self-identify, which may have included people who don’t necessarily consider themselves libertarian.The survey also found that people who identified as gamers were more likely to support bitcoin. Good for you, gaming community.If you are a merchant accepting bitcoin, CoinDesk wants to find out more about your experiences. Please fill out our survey.regulationsurveyOriginal author: Kadhim Shubber