46% of US crypto investors reported their investments did worse than expected, according to Pew Research Center’s nationally representative 2022 survey of 10,371 adults. That figure captures the core tension: cryptocurrency attracted mainstream adoption with promises of outsized returns, but nearly half of those who acted on the opportunity came away disappointed. On the other side, 23% of Americans who stayed out of crypto told Bankrate in a September 2022 survey that they regretted not buying Bitcoin when it was cheaper — a real but minority experience of inaction regret.
The numbers are regime-dependent in ways that matter. Pew’s 46% was recorded near the post-Terra/LUNA collapse, when Bitcoin had fallen roughly 70% from its 2021 peak. A survey taken at the top of a bull market would show higher inaction regret and lower action regret; a survey taken deeper in a bear market might produce even higher action regret. Bankrate’s younger cohort (18-41) expressed inaction regret at 36%, compared with 12% among those 42 and older, reflecting the demographic concentration of crypto enthusiasm. The S&P 500’s roughly 150% gain from 2019 to 2024 provided traditional-asset holders with strong objective grounds for contentment, which likely held down their regret rate.
Gilovich’s temporal model predicts that action regrets are more salient in the short run but fade as people adapt, while inaction regrets persist. That pattern may play out differently here: crypto investors who took large losses have a concrete, specific loss to mourn, while non-investors who missed a bull run are haunted by a counterfactual that grows and shrinks with every market cycle. The 23-point gap favoring action regret is real but unusually volatile for this asset class. Unlike missing a decade of S&P returns, missing a crypto bull run is not a one-time counterfactual — it recurs every time the price makes headlines.
Sources: action
Claim ledger
Every number below is what each source reported, with the verbatim quote we relied on and how we arrived at our figure. Click any link to verify directly.
[1]Pew Research Center — Majority of Americans aren't confident in the safety and reliability of cryptocurrency
Primary study
46% of US adults who had invested in, traded, or used cryptocurrency said their investment had done worse than expected
Excerpt
“"Among those who have invested in, traded, or used cryptocurrency, 46% say their investments have done worse than expected. Just 15% say they've done better than expected, while 31% say about as expected and 8% are unsure."
”
Source data from
2022-08-09
Accessed
2026-05-13
Calculation
Pew surveyed 10,371 US adults July 5-17, 2022. Of the 16% who had ever invested in, traded, or used crypto, 46% reported worse-than-expected outcomes. We use this as the action-regret proxy: investments that "did worse than expected" closely parallel the regret construct — the expectation gap is the dominant driver of investment regret. The 2024 Pew update found 38% still reported worse-than-expected results, slightly lower; the 2022 figure is used here as the most methodologically comparable snapshot tied to a specific market period.
[2]Gallup — Cryptocurrency Still Has Limited Main Street Appeal
Primary study
14% of Americans currently own cryptocurrency as of June 2025; ownership remains concentrated among younger men
Excerpt
“"Fourteen percent of U.S. adults overall report owning bitcoin or another cryptocurrency. Ownership is much higher, at 25%, among men aged 18 to 49 than among men aged 50 and older (12%), women aged 50 and older (9%) and women aged 18 to 49 (8%). College graduates (19%), upper-income Americans (19%) and political conservatives (18%) also report above-average ownership."
”
Source data from
2025-06-15
Accessed
2026-05-14
Calculation
Gallup August 2025 tracking poll. Ownership plateau at 14% suggests that many early investors have not re-entered or have exited the market. Included as context for the stable-but- concentrated investor population; does not alter the action- regret rate.
Sources: inaction
Claim ledger
Every number below is what each source reported, with the verbatim quote we relied on and how we arrived at our figure. Click any link to verify directly.
[1]Bankrate — Financial Security Index: September 2022
Primary study
23% of Americans who do not own crypto say they regret not buying Bitcoin when it was cheaper
Excerpt
“"Among those who do not own cryptocurrency, 23 percent say they regret not purchasing Bitcoin or another cryptocurrency when it was available at a lower price. The share expressing regret was higher among younger adults (18-41) at 36 percent, compared with 12 percent among those 42 and older."
”
Source data from
2022-09-21
Accessed
2026-05-13
Calculation
Bankrate Financial Security Index, September 2022 wave, n=2,549 US adults. The question isolates non-owners who regret not having bought crypto — a direct inaction-regret measure. The 23% figure was captured near a crypto market trough (post-Terra/LUNA collapse), which likely suppressed FOMO relative to a bull-market survey. The younger cohort (36%) shows substantially higher inaction regret, which is consistent with the demographic skew of crypto enthusiasm.
Caveats
The action-regret rate (46%) measures investments that "did worse than expected," which is a performance disappointment proxy, not a direct "I regret investing" question. Some respondents may have been dissatisfied while still believing crypto was the right long-term bet. The Pew 2024 update found the rate had fallen to 38%, suggesting the original 46% reflects peak pessimism near the 2022 market trough. The inaction rate (23%) comes from a separate Bankrate survey in the same month, so the populations are not directly matched. The true inaction regret likely fluctuates substantially with Bitcoin's price: in a bull market, non-owners experience sharply higher FOMO, while crypto investors who bought near peaks hold the most regret. Both figures are heavily regime-dependent. The S&P 500 gained roughly 150% from 2019 to 2024, meaning traditional-asset holders who tracked an index fund had strong objective justification for their inaction; their measured regret rate may partly reflect that satisfaction. Cross-demographic variation is large: Bankrate found 36% of younger non-owners expressed regret vs 12% of those 42 and older.
