The Bitcoin Policy Institute revealed that Bitcoin owners are quickly evolving into a key voting bloc.
The institute revealed the findings after it teamed up with Cygnal, a fast-growing private polling firm, for a national survey of 800 likely 2026 general election voters between June 19-21 about Bitcoin ownership and its political impact ahead of the annual Bitcoin Policy Summit.
2024 changed crypto forever, and Trump’s fingerprint is all over it
Pollster and Cygnal President, Brent Buchanan is convinced that the Bitcoin constituency has become a critical talking point in elections. However, he also noted a “wide chasm between Bitcoiners and voters as a whole.”
Despite this chasm, he claims that the data offers a lot of promise and opportunity to the Bitcoin community as well as the innovation industries that surround it.
Buchanan claims the 2024 election was a turning point for crypto as it saw President Trump alter the messaging around the subject to make it more enticing for lawmakers to get involved on key policy fronts.
The Democrats made the big mistake of dismissing the demography, staying antithetical to the values Bitcoin owners live by, which includes freedom, independence, pursuance, and reasonable regulation.
“Top that off with a record of stifling innovation and you see how this data highlights the simple fact that Republicans unlocked how to talk to the Bitcoin community and win on their issues. But like any emerging key voter group, they’re not to be taken for granted,” Buchanan said.
Who are the Bitcoin owners and voters?
According to the research, Bitcoin owners typically tend to be younger, predominantly male, highly educated, and Republican leaning. They also tend to have higher incomes but lower voting frequency.
When it comes to political impact, the poll found that Bitcoin owners are more optimistic about the direction the country is headed and that they strongly favored Donald Trump in the 2024 election, with the Republican garnering 59% support compared to Kamala’s 34%.
It was also found that a significant majority, up to 76%, of Bitcoin owners have a higher tendency to support lawmakers who advance policies facilitating Bitcoin ownership and use, a sentiment shared by 43% of all those who voted.
As for why these people even own any Bitcoin in the first place, the research revealed primary motivations for owning Bitcoin, including investment potential (62%), financial independence (32%) and participation in innovation (30%).
High-income earners in particular consider it an effective hedge against inflation. Trust in the federal government’s ability to regulate assets like Bitcoin fairly is higher among Bitcoin owners at 29% compared to the general electorate’s 12%.
However, a larger number of all the voters (33%) express no trust in this area. Still, the Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act was supported by 38% of general voters while over 54% of Bitcoin owners backed the proposal and 46%chose to remain neutral. Policies on the right to transact and stablecoins also fared similarly.