Recent survey findings show that 8 per cent of Chinese college students is holding cryptocurrencies and that 26.7 per cent would choose to work in blockchain after graduation.

The survey, conducted by local crypto media outlet PANews, found that students majoring in economics, management and engineering are more familiar with and interested in blockchain.

Nearly half of the students polled have some knowledge about cryptocurrency, while only 18% have invested in this trendy yet risky investment, among which 8.25 % are currently holding bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, and 9.57% said they had stepped out of this, presumably losing much as result of big price swings during the period of 2017 to 2018;

Still, there are over 42% of them shows interest in investing in cryptocurrencies in the future.

At risk or not, college students are curious about cryptocurrency. While nearly half admit they know little about cryptocurrency and the technology underpinning it though they often hear of the nascent concepts in news these years. Some said they still cannot figure out what blockchain and bitcoin is even after they have made some efforts.

36% of the students polled first heard of the term blockchain through news media, and 15% said they learn it in class. Nearly half of them said that they learn information related to blockchain and cryptocurrency mainly through media subscription, and 41% would take the initiative to search for relevant information on the internet.

Though the sample size is small (301 valid questionnaires from 131 universities across the country), the findings indicate that the nascent yet disruptive technology should gain more attention in higher education. As blockchain is going mainstream, there’s a pressing need to cultivate talent who specializes in this technology.

Public information shows that a plurality of universities in China (mostly top universities including Tsinghua University, Tongji University, Central University of Finance and Economics, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Fudan University, Zhejiang University, etc.) have offered blockchain-related courses. While blockchain education in the country is just starting, it will take a long time to reach the stage of general education on a larger scale.

When it comes to career hunting, 26.7% of the students said they are considering working on blockchain related projects in the future.