Coinbase survey reveals growing popularity of cryptocurrencies and blockchain among students

Coinbase, in partnership with Qriously, conducted a survey to explore the awareness and interest among students on cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology.

The research comprises of a Qrioisly survey of 675 U.S. students, a comprehensive review of courses at 50 international universities, and interviews with professors and students. In an online post, Coinbase outlined the key findings:

Cryptocurrency and blockchain at Universities

• 42 percent of the top 50 universities offer at least one class on blockchain or cryptocurrency, and 22 percent offer more than one
• A review of course catalogs at the top 50 universities revealed that cryptocurrency classes are being offered across a variety of departments. According to Coinbase analysis, of the 172 classes listed by the top 50 universities, 15 percent were offered by business, economics, finance, and law departments, and 4 percent were in social science departments such as anthropology, history, and political science.
• Blockchain and cryptocurrency courses are most prominent in the U.S. – only 6 of the 18 international universities on the list (27 percent) offer at least one class on blockchain or cryptocurrency, and only 2 — Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich and National University of Singapore — offer more than one.

Cryptocurrency and blockchain among students

• A quarter of all students said they would definitely or probably take a course focused on cryptocurrency or blockchain.
• Students are increasingly enrolling for such courses. For example, the number of students who enrolled for a course on blockchain and financial services at New York University Stern School of Business jumped from 35 in 2014 to 230 in 2018.
• Among students, 47 percent of social science majors and 34 percent of computer science and engineering majors said they were interested in learning about cryptocurrency.
• 17 percent of computer science and engineering majors have already taken a course focused on cryptocurrency and blockchain, as have 15 percent of economics and math majors and 11 percent of business majors. Just 5 percent of social science majors have taken such a course, the survey found.
• 17 percent said they consider their knowledge of cryptocurrency and blockchain very good, compared to just 9 percent of the general population surveyed at the same time.
• 18 percent of students said they own (or have owned) cryptocurrency – twice the rate of the general population.

In June, blockchain startup Ripple announced the University Blockchain Research Initiative (UBRI) to support and accelerate academic research, technical development and innovation in blockchain, cryptocurrency and digital payments.