Men’s relationship with crypto has been a major talking point in this election, but according to a new survey it may not be worth it.
The poll was conducted by Democratic polling company Blueprint 2024 among 1,348 male registered voters nationally, including an oversample of 611 young male voters (18-29) from October 9 to 13.
It found that crypto was the least important issue out of 28 among men of all ages, and ranked as a priority for only 14 percent of respondents.
Evan Roth Smith, Blueprint’s lead pollster, believes that both campaigns know that crypto is not a major issue in the polls, but that with such a tight race both candidates feel the need to campaign on whatever could possibly gain them an extra few votes.
Roth Smith said: “If there are 5,000 young men in the state of Pennsylvania who are going to cast their vote based on crypto, you’d prefer to win there.”
Roth Smith added that most young men in particular “care about what most voters in America care about.”
According to the poll, the top five most important issues for young men in this election are inflation, jobs, the economy, corruption, and crime. It also found that young men were more likely to trust Trump than Harris on all five.
Left: Donald Trump speaks during a town hall at the Convention Center in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, October 20, 2024. Right: Kamala Harris speaks at a campaign event at Divine Faith Ministries International on October 20, 2024 in Jonesboro, Georgia. Inset: A visual representation of the digital cryptocurrency Bitcoin is displayed in front of Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) logo on January 10, 2024 in Paris, France. Both candidates have crypto policies, despite polling saying this is not necessary.
Left: Charly Triballeau, Right: Megan Varner, Inset: Chesnot/Getty Images
Although crypto is a marginal issue for most men in the 2024 election, it is not a non-issue entirely.
According to a survey for Grayscale produced by The Harris Poll between September 4 and 6, among 1,841 adults 46 percent of respondents believe that crypto and blockchain technology are the future of finance, and both candidates have been trying to speak to them.
Donald Trump launched his crypto venture ‘World Liberty Financial’ on October 15, and Kamala Harris produced a policy platform for Black men on October 14 which explicitly lists “supporting a regulatory framework for cryptocurrency and other digital assets so Black men who invest in and own these assets are protected” as one of her priorities.
Donald Trump visiting a cryptocurrency-themed bar called Pubkey in the West Village on September 18, 2024 in New York City. Donald Trump has gained some support from the margins for his crypto stances.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images
A New Yorker article from September 27 interviewed voters who are backing Trump because of his stance on crypto.
One voter, Rich Clarke, said that Trump appealed to him because of his positive stance on crypto as well as his position on pardoning Ross Ulbricht, the founder of Silk Road, an online blackmarket site that facilitated transactions via Bitcoin, who was given two life sentences for crimes related to drug trafficking and money laundering.
While not many voters might be swayed by a candidate’s crypto platform, the race to the White House is looking extremely close, suggesting every vote counts. In recent weeks, polls have tightened, and most models now predict a Trump win.
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