According to the recent report from Russian Center for the Study of Public Opinion (VTsIOM), Bitcoin has not gained popularity in the country, with two-thirds of Russians considering a purchase of the cryptocurrency as a bad investment. VTsIOM is the oldest polling institution in post-Soviet Russia.
As contained in the report, the word “bitcoin” is familiar to 74% of Russians, of whom only 2% acquired digital currency. 47% think that bitcoins can only be bought, but not produced by yourself, 43% – that for them you cannot buy real goods and services with bitcoin.
The report went further to say that more than half of Russians (56%) say they know about bitcoins (however, only 9% are in detail), another 18% have heard only the term itself. The level of awareness among the youngest age groups (67% among 18-24-year-olds), people with a higher education (71%), residents of Moscow and St. Petersburg (75%), men (66%), active Internet users (69%).
At the same time, the actual knowledge about this cryptocurrency is rather weak. So, among those who know/have heard about bitcoins, 37% are sure that anyone can buy them , and 12%, for example, believe that they are banned in Russia. The degree of protection of bitcoins, compared with conventional money, is estimated ambiguously: 28% believe that it is harder to steal digital currency, 29% – easier.
In general, it can be said that bitcoins have not yet gained popularity among our fellow citizens: two thirds of Russians who heard about them (65%) consider investing money in bitcoins as a disadvantageous investment, only 2% bought bitcoins.
It is pertinent to note according to a news outlet that in early 2018, VCIOM posted the results of another survey about cryptos. That survey also indicated that the level of knowledge about cryptocurrencies in Russia is rather low, as even those that claim to be familiar with Bitcoin often fail to state with certainty whether the Bitcoin can be legally bought in Russia. In fact, 16% of those claiming to have knowledge about cryptocurrencies said that Bitcoin is prohibited in Russia.
