Key Highlights
- 90% of college students and 87% of parents believe crypto and blockchain should be taught as part of college financial education, according to an OKX survey.
- Students are nearly five times more likely to learn about crypto from social media than from schools, with 33% citing social media or influencers as their primary source versus just 7% citing educators.
- 53% of students and 51% of parents believe college students understand crypto better than their parents.
A recent survey by OKX, a global cryptocurrency exchange, has found that nearly nine in 10 parents and college students believe crypto and blockchain should form part of college financial education. The findings, released in OKX Insights #007 titled “The New Money Curriculum,” highlight a gap between demand for digital finance coursework and its availability at U.S. universities.
The survey, shared exclusively with The Crypto Times, shows that 90 percent of students and 87 percent of parents say colleges should teach crypto and blockchain. Of those, 27 percent of students and 32 percent of parents say such instruction should be required.
A 2025 academic review of 533 U.S. universities with AACSB-accredited business schools found that approximately 28 percent offered blockchain courses, according to data cited from ISEDJ.
Students rely more on social media than classrooms
Students are nearly five times more likely to learn about crypto from social media than from school. Thirty-three percent of students named social media or influencers as their most important source, compared with 7 percent who named school, teachers, or professors. Students were about twice as likely as parents to cite social media as their primary source, at 33 percent versus 17 percent.
Other sources for students included financial advisors at 17 percent, crypto platforms or apps at 12 percent, parents or family at 10 percent, friends or peers at 10 percent, and traditional news at 6 percent. Parents ranked crypto platforms or apps first at 21 percent, followed by financial advisors at 19 percent, social media or influencers at 17 percent, friends or peers at 12 percent, and traditional news at 11 percent.
Generational views on crypto knowledge
Both groups agreed that college students hold an edge in crypto understanding. Fifty-three percent of students and 51 percent of parents said college students understand crypto better than their parents. Only 14 percent of students and 13 percent of parents said parents understand it better.
Parents acknowledged the knowledge difference but still sought involvement in early investment decisions. Students were more than twice as likely to say they themselves should have the most influence over their first investments, at 36 percent, compared with 16 percent who chose their parents. Parents split more evenly, with 29 percent saying the student should have the most influence and 30 percent saying parents or family should.
Nearly half of students, 47 percent, reported teaching a parent or guardian something about crypto or investing. Forty-three percent of parents said their college-aged child had taught them something. About one in four students said they had specifically taught parents about crypto, either alone or with broader investing lessons.
Fifty-six percent of parents said they would definitely or probably allow their college-aged child to make a crypto transaction for them. Only 9 percent of students reported having done so.
Crypto viewed as long-term investment
College students were nearly nine times more likely to describe buying crypto as a long-term investment than as a hobby. Fifty-two percent of students called it a long-term investment, while 6 percent viewed it as a hobby. Parents showed a similar pattern, with 48 percent calling it a long-term investment and 9 percent a hobby.
Eighty-nine percent of students said at least some allocation to crypto could be responsible in a portfolio, while 11 percent said the appropriate allocation is zero.
When asked what today’s college students would most regret not owning, 27 percent of students ranked real estate first, ahead of AI or technology stocks at 23 percent, the S&P 500 at 20 percent, and Bitcoin at 17 percent. Parents also placed real estate first at 26 percent, followed by Bitcoin at 24 percent. Real estate was the only asset ranked first by both groups.
Fifty-six percent of students said they would definitely or probably accept a job that paid 20 percent of their salary in Bitcoin. Sixty-two percent of parents said they would support their college-aged child accepting the same arrangement.
Context of broader education efforts
The OKX findings arrive amid other industry efforts to expand blockchain and digital asset education. Tether, the issuer of USDT, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre in June to support blockchain education, tokenization initiatives, and digital asset programs for DMCC’s network of more than 26,000 member companies.
Separately, Ripple reported in May on the outcomes of its $25 million education initiative launched during Teacher Appreciation Week the previous year. The program, conducted with DonorsChoose and Teach For America, directed the majority of funds through Ripple’s RLUSD stablecoin to support schools, teachers, and financial literacy efforts in the United States.
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