FINRA Foundation - Investors Report

As part of the National Financial Capability Study, the Investor Survey gauges the investing behaviors, attitudes, and knowledge of investors in the United States.s.

In the third wave of the NFCS Investor Survey, we surveyed 2,824 U.S. adults who own investments outside of retirement accounts. We take a close look at investors amid the rising popularity of online trading, cryptocurrencies, “meme” stocks, and new information sources.

The following insights allow you to see how survey responses vary by different demographic factors and by year.

2021

Investor survey

2,824

respondents

In the past 12 months, how many times have you bought or sold investments in non-retirement accounts?

Overall
1 to 3 times
4 to 10 times
11 times or more
None

Overall

Have you made any securities purchases on margin?

Overall
Yes
No

Overall

Have you ever purchased or sold options?

Overall
Yes
No

Overall

55% of investors ages 18-34 have traded options, compared to 34% of those ages 55+

Have you invested in cryptocurrencies, either directly or through a fund that invests in cryptocurrencies?

Overall
Yes
No

Overall

59% of investors with less than 2 years of investing experience invested in cryptocurrency compared to 23% of investors with 2+ years of experience

How much do you rely on social media groups or message boards where people post investment ideas

Overall
A great deal
Somewhat
Not at all

Overall

Did you buy or sell shares of “meme stocks” (GameStop, AMC, or Blackberry) in 2021?

Overall
Yes
No

Overall

13% of female investors traded shares of Gamestop, AMC or Blackberry in 2021, compared to 21% of male investors

How well does the following describe why you invest? To learn about investing

Overall
Describes very well
Describes somewhat
Does not describe at all

Overall

How much do you rely on recommendations from financial professionals when making decisions about what to invest in?

Overall
A great deal
Somewhat
Not at all

Overall

How confident are you that U.S. financial markets are fair to all investors?

Overall
Confident
Neutral
Not confident

Overall

Performance on 10-item Investor Knowledge Quiz

Overall
High investing knowledge (5+ of 10 correct)
Low investing knowledge (<5 of 10 correct)

Overall

58% of investors with a college degree or higher exhibited high investing knowledge, compared to 41% of those without a college degree.

Go back to

The Geography of Financial Capability

Learn more about

2021 National Financial Capability Study Understanding Investors in the U.S. In The Face of Technological Innovation

The Geography of Financial Capability

Financial Capability in the U.S.