A new poll has shown that nearly 36% of Americans are against the government recognizing Bitcoin as legal tender.

According to a recent poll from research and data analytics firm YouGov, some 28% of respondents “strongly oppose” the idea. Meanwhile, another 11% only “somewhat oppose” adopting Bitcoin as legal tender, similarly to El Salvador this past week.

Poll details

Although a plurality of respondents seem to be against Bitcoin adoption in the US, the other respondents were similarly split. About 11% “strongly support” the idea, with another 16% indicating “somewhat support,” amounting to roughly 27% in favor overall. Finally, an additional 34% indicated that they didn’t know.

A total of 4,912 US residents were surveyed for the poll, which also segmented its results according to different demographics. For instance, 39% of Republican respondents were “strongly opposed” to adopting Bitcoin as legal tender, as opposed to only 26% of Democrats.

The results are also divided along generational lines, with 44% of 25-34 year olds supporting the idea. This contrasted significantly with those over 55, 54% of whom reject the proposition overall. Region and gender also seemed to influence respondents’ knowledge of the subject. For example, 37% of those from the Midwest and the South, and 41% of women responded they “don’t know.”

Bitcoin adoption

YouGov performed the survey in light of El Salvador’s recent adoption of Bitcoin as legal tender. Although the government had been preparing for its introduction since the announcement in June, an increasing number of Salvadorans have grown dissatisfied with the idea.

According to a poll from a Central American University (UCA), based in El Salvador, at least 67.9% of 1,281 people surveyed said they disagree or strongly disagree with the use of bitcoin as a legal tender. Meanwhile, just over 32% of people said they agree on some level. The poll, carried out in August, also showed that 90% of people did not have a clear understanding of bitcoin. Another 80% said they had little or no confidence in its use, while 7 out of 10 thought lawmakers should repeal the Bitcoin law. Many have also taken to the streets to express their discontent.

Meanwhile, as the world watches how the Bitcoin rollout unfolds in El Salvador, other countries have been stirred. Recently, Panama introduced legislation of its own to make Bitcoin legal tender, while Russia issued a statement confirming that it would not be doing that.