Public Perception of Virtual Assets and Tokenized Money

26 SURVEY FINDINGS PART I: VIRTUAL ASSETS Online purchases have been the most common way to acquire virtual assets, as indicated by the majority of respondents who currently or previously held virtual assets across all three surveys. However, this method has become less popular, as evidenced by a decrease of 8.85 percentage points and 10.91 percentage points between the second and third surveys for respondents who currently hold virtual assets and those who previously held virtual assets, respectively. This decline coincides with an increase in alternative acquisition methods. In the third survey, respondents who currently hold virtual assets reported receiving them as payment for goods or services, indicating a shift towards more practical and integrated uses of virtual assets in everyday transactions. In contrast, respondents who previously held virtual assets were more likely to have acquired them by purchasing at a dedicated kiosk or from family or friends. Figure 24. Changes in Acquisition Methods of Virtual Assets 0% 10% 40% 70% 20% 50% 80% 30% 60% I bought them at a dedicated kiosk I bought them on an online platform I mined them I received them in payment for goods or services They were transferred to me from family or friends None of the above Others 1st survey 2nd survey 3rd survey 1st survey 2nd survey 3rd survey 1st survey 2nd survey 3rd survey 1st survey 2nd survey 3rd survey 1st survey 2nd survey 3rd survey 1st survey 2nd survey 3rd survey 1st survey 2nd survey 3rd survey 6.90% 5.87% 9.00% 73.52% 75.05% 66.20% 12.93% 15.93% 14.68% 8.50% 10.27% 13.16% 13.18% 12.58% 13.30% 7.76% 5.66% 7.06% 1.72% 3.14% 1.80%