1 in 4 UK adults open to investing in crypto for retirement: Survey

Around a quarter of British adults say they are open to including cryptocurrency in their retirement plans, according to a new poll by UK insurance company Aviva. The survey of 2,000 UK adults found 27% would consider adding crypto to their retirement fund, and just over 40% of those open to crypto cited the prospect of higher potential returns as their motivation.

The poll, conducted by Censuswide between June 4 and June 6, also found that 23% of respondents said they would consider withdrawing part or all of their existing pension to invest in crypto. Aviva noted that this interest could channel more capital into the crypto market given that more than four in five UK adults hold pensions collectively worth around £3.8 trillion.

About one in five of those surveyed — roughly 11.6 million people — reported that they hold or have held crypto, and around two-thirds of that group said they still own crypto in some form. Younger adults appear especially active: nearly one-fifth of respondents aged 25 to 34 said they have already withdrawn pension funds to invest in crypto, contributing substantially to the roughly 8% of all respondents who reported having done so.

Despite interest, respondents expressed significant concerns about crypto. Security risks such as hacking and phishing topped the list at 41% while a lack of regulation and consumer protection was cited by 37%. Volatility was the third-most-cited worry at 30%.

“We mustn’t forget the value of the good old pension. It comes with some powerful benefits, like employer contributions and tax relief, that can make a real difference to your long-term financial wellbeing.”
— Michele Golunska, Aviva’s managing director of wealth and advice

Nearly one in three people said they are interested in crypto but acknowledged they don’t fully understand what they might give up by cashing in pension benefits, while 27% of respondents said they did not realize there were risks involved in investing pension funds in crypto.

The UK has been progressing cautiously on crypto regulation, unveiling a proposed framework in May aimed at treating crypto exchanges, dealers, and agents similarly to traditional financial firms with stronger compliance, transparency, and consumer protections. The survey also found signs of resistance from banks: 40% of 2,000 recent crypto investors said their bank had blocked or delayed a payment to a crypto provider.

The results underline growing public curiosity about crypto as a retirement asset, balanced by persistent worries about security, oversight, and the long-term implications of moving pension savings into a volatile asset class.