• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, December 20, 2021

In its first study benchmarking the appetite of consumers to invest in cryptocurrencies, GroupM's Mindshare unit found it is the area the greatest percentage of Americans plan to boost their spending on.

The finding -- part of Mindshare's ongoing tracking of consumer sentiment and expectations since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic -- comes form its 22nd wave of research, and shows that 36% of U.S. adults plan to invest more in cryptocurrencies than any other area queried, including education, essential goods, personal wellness, or even conventional investments or insurance.

The finding comes as a new wave of uncertainty related to new variants of COVID-19, especially Omicron, cloud the outlook for the near future.

It also comes as interest in new forms of blockchain-enabled investments and collectables -- especially NFTs (non-fungible tokens) -- spike on news media, social media, and within the ad industry itself, as big brands try to leverage the virtual premiums as a new way to incentivize consumers to engage in and participate in loyalty programs.