- 54% of respondents say feeling financially behind is a major reason they take on higher investment risk, and another 27% call it one factor among others.
- Only 16% say they are actively working toward long-term financial freedom, while most are focused on covering everyday expenses or simply surviving.
- Crypto is viewed primarily as a wealth-building tool, with 39% citing faster wealth creation as their main reason for investing and only 6% pointing to FOMO.
According to CEX.IO data, drawn from a sample of more than 3 million users across 150+ countries, Gen Z is the fastest-growing age group of active participants in crypto markets. In 2025, unique users aged 18-25 performing any financial operation on an exchange grew 88% compared to 2024, while spot trading volume rose 144% over the same period.
That growth raises an obvious question: what’s fueling it? To find out, CEX.IO surveyed 1,200 U.S. Gen Z adults aged 18-27.
Feeling Behind Financially Is Driving Risk-Taking
More than half of respondents (54%) said feeling financially behind where they expected to be is a major reason they take higher investment risks, while another 27% said it’s better to have crypto than not and include it in a diversified portfolio.
This suggests that most Gen Z crypto investors see taking investment risk, including investing in crypto, as a response to their current financial situation.
But this isn’t a generation investing with blind confidence. When asked about their financial outlook, only 16% said they are actively working toward long-term financial freedom. A much larger group (41%) said their main focus is simply covering current expenses, while another 13% described themselves as being in “survival mode,” with too much financial pressure to think about building long-term wealth.
That same pattern appears in what’s holding them back from investing more. 37% said they fear losing money or making the wrong investment decision, while 29% said they don’t have enough extra money to invest. Together, these findings suggest their willingness to take risks isn’t driven by overconfidence, but by the need to improve their financial situation despite limited resources.
Gen Z Perceive Crypto As a Way To Build Wealth Faster
Asked why they invest in crypto, the largest group (39%) said it offers a faster way to build wealth than traditional saving methods. Another 28% said crypto is simply one part of a diversified investment portfolio. Only 6% pointed to social influence or FOMO as their primary motivation.
Their investment choices reflect that mindset. When asked what they’d realistically do with a hypothetical $1,000, 49% said they’d split it between safer investments and higher-risk assets like crypto instead of putting everything into one place. Only 13% said they’d invest most or all of it in higher-risk assets such as crypto and AI stocks. This suggests Gen Z is trying to balance the desire for higher returns with the need to manage risk.
Crypto Is Part Of A Bigger Goal: Financial Independence
That same mindset extends beyond crypto and shapes how Gen Z thinks about money more broadly.
Although most respondents stated that they receive some form of financial support from parents, 41% said their ideal situation would involve no financial assistance at all, preferring to stand entirely on their own despite economic headwinds.
When asked to choose between financial comfort with family support versus a tougher road with full freedom, 39% selected the harder path. Another 26% want a phased approach, suggesting that even those accepting help view it as temporary. Combined, 65% of respondents see parental financial involvement as something to minimize or eliminate entirely.&
The same mindset appears in their investment goals.
Nearly half (44%) expect crypto to be one of the main ways they build wealth over the next five years, while another 46% believe it will play at least some meaningful role. Taken together, the results suggest Gen Z sees crypto less as a short-term speculation and more as part of a broader effort to gain financial autonomy.
Where They’re Learning: AI and Social Media
Given that financial anxiety, it matters where Gen Z is turning for guidance. Asked where they primarily get crypto-specific information, 41% of respondents pointed to social media and online communities, while another 29% cited AI chatbots such as ChatGPT or Claude. Together, that means 7 in 10 Gen Z crypto investors rely primarily on AI or social media when learning about digital assets.
The result broadly mirrors trends already identified across traditional finance. Wells Fargo’s 2026 Money Study found Gen Z’s use of AI for financial advice running roughly double the general population, alongside heavy reliance on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and online communities. Separately, a TD Bank survey found AI adoption for financial decisions highest among Gen Z at 77%.
What stands out in crypto specifically is that social media still outpaces AI. That may reflect crypto’s community-driven culture, where new narratives and projects tend to surface in online discussion before they hit mainstream financial coverage.
The key takeaway is that AI and social media seem to support an existing goal rather than create it. Only 6% of respondents said social influence was their main reason for investing. Instead, Gen Z appears to use AI and social platforms as research tools to help achieve a goal they already have: improving their financial situation.
What It Means
The survey paints a picture of a generation approaching crypto out of urgency rather than enthusiasm. Gen Z appears to be investing because they feel like they’re running out of time to catch up, and crypto looks like one of the faster lanes available to them.
That urgency shapes everything else. It’s why so many turn to AI tools and online communities for guidance instead of relying on traditional financial institutions. It’s why independence from family support matters as much as the investment returns themselves. And it’s why their risk-taking appears more calculated than reckless. For many, investing is a response to financial pressure rather than overconfidence.
As Gen Z becomes a larger share of the crypto market, understanding that pressure may matter more than tracking which assets or platforms they choose.
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