(TNND) — Most Americans aren't interested in investing in cryptocurrencies, viewing them as very risky, according to a new survey from Gallup.

Just 14% of Americans told Gallup they own bitcoin or another form of crypto.

Some people say they are planning to buy crypto, while others say they are intrigued but won’t be buying.

Most survey respondents, 60%, said they simply aren’t interested in crypto.

Fifty-five percent of people said crypto is very risky, including 42% of current crypto owners. Nearly three-quarters of people who don’t want to buy crypto view it as risky.

“I would say that it is very risky,” said Leonard Kostovetsky, an associate professor of finance at Baruch College in New York. "I would agree with this."

Crypto is a relatively new investment product.

And despite the buzz, it remains a mystery to most people.

Just 35% of people told Gallup they know something about crypto.

“There's a lot of reasons why it might not make sense for the typical American to invest in crypto outside of just speculation,” Kostovetsky said.

Cryptocurrencies operate through blockchains, or decentralized digital ledgers.

Unlike normal financial assets, like stocks and bonds, crypto is an asset whose entire value depends on what people are willing to pay for it at a period in time based on what they think someone else will pay for it in the future.

About 60% of Americans own stock, according to Gallup.

Kostovetsky said stocks are more regulated, have longer histories and are supported by company cash flows.

Crypto, he said, is “a completely different animal.”

But Kostovetsky said crypto could gain mainstream investment appeal over time, as people who are young now grow into older investors.

Men 18-49 are the most likely group to own crypto, according to Gallup.

A quarter of men in that age group own some currently.

Women 50 or older are the most likely to say they’ll never buy. Close to three-quarters of women in that age group just aren’t interested in crypto.

Close to a fifth of households earning $90,000 or more a year hold crypto.

Under 10% of households earning $48,000 or less a year do, as well.

Sixteen percent of Republicans said they own crypto, as did 10% of Democrats.

More investors are embracing crypto. Gallup found 17% own some now, compared to just 6% in 2021.

The Gallup survey was conducted in early June, before President Donald Trump signed the GENIUS Act that sets a regulatory framework for stablecoins, a form of crypto.

Kostovetsky said that could lead to higher stablecoin adoption.

And he said other legislation going through Congress could potentially make crypto more secure and mainstream.

Kostovetsky said people shouldn’t invest what they aren’t prepared to lose in crypto. So, he’d warn people against pouring most of their portfolio into crypto. And he said people closer to retirement might want to look elsewhere.

“The payoff comes with the risk,” he said.