Crypto’s real barrier isn’t trust, it’s understanding

The industry has a perception problem—but it’s not the one you might think.

For years, crypto headlines have fixated on trust issues: fraud, volatility, and the few bad actors who’ve given crypto a Wild West reputation. But the National Cryptocurrency Association’s new 2025 Crypto Confidence Pulse—a Harris Poll survey of Americans who don’t currently hold any crypto—reveals something more fundamental is holding people back: a knowledge gap.