Topic: [2018-08-28]Coinbase survey of 675 US students shows 18% own cryptocurrency (Read 163 times)

I'm sorry but 675 is a ridiculously small sample size for any survey. There's simply no way you can make an accurate or scientific judgement from such a small sample size.

It's just a logical event and a very welcome subject for universities to attract a whole new category of people they otherwise would have missed out on.

I am honestly of believe that blockchain as 'technology' is severely overhyped at this stage, but at least it's good to see that this hype is actually one of the main reasons people get interested at first. In most cases a simple database system is more than enough to book the efficiency gains people think blockchain offers, especially if decentralization isn't a must.

So far today Bitcoin with its conservative scaling approach is the only proper example of how a blockchain actually serves a purpose.

this is exactly what i'd expect, although at this sample size i'd take it with a grain of salt. cryptocurrency has definitely been embraced far more by the younger generations. it's partly just a matter of technological inclination. but i also think it makes sense in the context of the housing bubble (rising costs of renting and homeownership) and stagnant wage growth. it's getting harder and harder to save, at a time when living costs are rising.

older people with savings and assets probably have a much lower risk threshold. but if you're a millennial (or younger) with little money to invest, you gonna put it into an overinflated stock market for slow and modest gains? not me......

It seems like every new research have even smaller number of subjects of the previous ones, only 675 students is far from any representative number. But as you say it is just Coinbase, they are not doing things like that just for fun - but to attract new customers to their service. It is like FOMO effect, "18% are in, what the rest of you waiting?".

However it is good to know that some universities in USA offer blockchain technology or cryptocurrency class, education is very important factor. Those people will definitely make contributions to cryptocurrency and blockchain technology in future.

The data may be biased. Not saying that they are, but there definitely may be bias in collection.

The demographic of the respondents may have well been selected in one way or another to produce results that coinbase wants. And it's understandable if this was to be the case, since they are one of the biggest bitcoin exchanges and wallets, and they want to shed a positive light on bitcoin. Don't get me wrong though - all I'm saying is that don't trust blindly in these stats without verification.

If the data was true, then it certainly surprises me that this many students own crypto. The more surprising figure would actually be the fact that close to 50% of top 50 unis actually offer crypto courses. We're still in the early adopter phase at the moment, but are working our way closer to mainstream adoption right now.

It would be interesting if they survey 500 professors and see how many of them own the cryptocurrency 

University students are clamoring for more courses about cryptocurrency and blockchain technology.

That's according to a nationwide survey of 675 students, commissioned by crypto exchange Coinbase and released today. According to the survey, 21 of the top 50 U.S. universities, as ranked by U.S. News and World Report, now offer a class on blockchain technology or cryptocurrency, and at least 11 colleges offer more than one.

"Students today are really thinking deeply about economic issues and alternative economic futures," Bill Maurer, the dean of the School of Social Sciences at the University of California Irvine, said.

He continued:

"Teaching about this kind of stuff now can be really powerful for students that are trying to find their own way and envision what kind of possible alternatives there might be to the prevailing economic system."

And that interest in alternative economics isn't just relegated to the expected departments, such as finance or business or even computer science.

Instead, the Coinbase survey found that there's high demand for crypto and blockchain courses across a diverse spectrum of students.

While 34 percent of computer science and engineering majors indicated interest in learning about the nascent technology, 47 percent of social science majors are interested in the same, according to the survey.

Speaking to the enthusiasm within the social sciences, or those related to the study of human society and social relationships, Maurer said, learning about financial systems prepares students in all programs for the job market today.

"There's a huge demand out there, especially in the design space, for people that have the skills that we train anthropologists with, understanding the human side of technology," he said.

Increasing interest
Meanwhile, universities like Cornell, Stanford, and Georgetown are beefing up their blockchain research opportunities to accommodate swells in curiosity.

And at New York University, David Yermack from the Stern School of Business said that to meet growing demand, his blockchain course will now be offered both semesters (when it was originally only taught during one), according to a blog post published by Coinbase outlining the results.

During the first session of the course in 2014, only 35 students enrolled. But in the spring of 2018, 280 students had enrolled.

Not only are students eager to learn, but an increasing number are also trying the technology out for themselves – 18 percent of respondents in the survey said they own some cryptocurrency.

Dan Boneh, a computer science professor at Stanford, who is also seeing rising demand for blockchain and cryptocurrency-related classes, told CoinDesk:

"It's a pretty exciting time. It feels like the beginning of something."

Marketable skills
The surge in interest in education surrounding the technology is, in part, a reaction to the broader job market.

Benedikt Bunz, a doctoral student at Stanford, who spoke to Coinbase about the survey results, said cryptocurrency experts have an easy time finding jobs after graduation since such skills are in high demand.

Case in point, Coinbase is ramping up its efforts to recruit college students and recent graduates throughout this academic year.

"It's exciting to see widespread interest in cryptocurrency and blockchain technology taking off in the global academic community, including students attending the top universities in the world," Nat McGrath, vice president of people at Coinbase, told CoinDesk. "That's one of the reasons we're focused on building partnerships with underrepresented student groups across college campuses, and we look forward to expanding these efforts in the spring."

Beyond the Ivy League schools included in the Coinbase survey, Howard University, a historically African-American college, and the women's liberal arts school Smith College are two notable additions to McGrath's recruitment plan.

Given the high quality of students that are showing an inclination towards the field, Boneh said he's sure something groundbreaking will emerge over the next few years.

He concluded:

"I think [demand] has to do with a lot of talent going into the space. Very smart people are working on blockchain projects."

coindesk