Generation Z and millennial investors are more inclined than any previous generation to actively manage their investments and are more willing to embrace non-traditional assets.
Written by: Coinbase
Translated by: Chopper, Foresight News
For decades, the path to wealth accumulation for Americans has remained largely unchanged: find a good job, buy property, invest in stocks, and then wait for time to bring compound returns. However, our latest released "Cryptocurrency Industry Report" shows that the younger generation of investors no longer believes in this traditional path and is adjusting their investment behavior.
To understand the market response strategies of different generational groups and the role of cryptocurrency in their portfolios, Coinbase collaborated with Ipsos to conduct a special survey, interviewing 4,350 American adults, including 2,005 investors with investment accounts. The core conclusion of the survey is as follows: young investors, such as Generation Z and millennials, are more inclined than any previous generation to actively manage their investments, are more willing to accept non-traditional assets, and are more likely to view cryptocurrency as a core component of their personal financial future.
A Generation Shut Out by the Traditional Wealth Ladder
Young investors are far more optimistic about the economy than older generations, but they believe the existing financial system is not designed for them. Survey data shows that nearly seven in ten (73%) young people feel that their generation has a harder time accumulating wealth through traditional means compared to their parents' generation; this view is shared by only 57% of older individuals.
They have witnessed skyrocketing housing costs, mounting student debt, and sluggish wage growth. Against this backdrop, more and more young people are seeking alternative wealth accumulation methods that go beyond the traditional model of "home equity + stock portfolio."
The Proportion of Non-Traditional Asset Allocation is Three Times That of Older Generations
This anxiety is directly reflected in their asset allocation strategies. The survey shows that young investors allocate 25% of their investment portfolios to non-traditional asset classes such as cryptocurrency, financial derivatives, non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and other emerging products. This proportion is three times that of older investors, whose allocation to non-traditional assets is only 8%.
The proportion of stock holdings among different generational groups is roughly similar, with the core difference being that young investors have added more diverse allocations beyond stocks. They are more actively seeking income opportunities outside of traditional stock dividends and are more willing to try various new investment tools and emerging markets to narrow the wealth gap.
Cryptocurrency is Not a Side Investment, but a Core Allocation
This generational shift in investment philosophy is most vividly reflected in the level of acceptance of cryptocurrency. The report shows that 45% of young investors already hold cryptocurrency, while this figure is only 18% among older investors. Additionally, nearly half (47%) of young investors wish to get ahead of the general market and be the first to engage with new types of crypto assets; in contrast, only 16% of older investors share this desire.
In the eyes of the younger generation, cryptocurrency is not merely speculative trading but an important avenue for helping them catch up in wealth. Eighty percent of young people believe that cryptocurrency provides their generation with more financial opportunities outside the traditional financial system; simultaneously, another eighty percent firmly believe that the status of cryptocurrency in the future financial system will significantly increase. Among older investors, only about sixty percent agree with this view.
The younger generation's enthusiasm for exploring emerging markets extends beyond spot cryptocurrency; they also desire to engage with more non-traditional assets. Data shows that eighty percent of young investors are willing to take the lead in trying new investment opportunities, while this attitude is held by less than half of older individuals. Young investors consistently show strong interest in emerging non-traditional products such as cryptocurrency derivatives, prediction markets, 24/7 stock trading, initial token offerings, altcoins, and decentralized finance lending.
The Impact of This Trend on Future Markets
The young investor group has demonstrated distinctly different characteristics: they trade more frequently, are willing to take on greater risks in pursuit of higher returns, and are shifting a significant portion of their investment portfolios towards non-traditional assets centered around cryptocurrency. At the same time, they are driving the entire financial industry to transform towards meeting the needs of the internet-native generation, creating platforms that operate around the clock and support multi-asset trading.
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