The average readiness score across all 113 respondents was 12.75 out of 16 — equivalent to approximately 80% readiness overall. This is calculated from four survey dimensions — digital familiarity, crypto understanding, personal confidence and willingness to adopt. The score indicates that Bhutan has a strong foundational readiness for cryptocurrency adoption. The majority of respondents already use digital payments, have heard of cryptocurrency and express willingness to adopt with the right support in place.

Despite very high awareness — 96% of respondents have heard of cryptocurrency — most only have basic or very little understanding of how it actually works. This critical gap between awareness and knowledge is the single biggest education opportunity in Bhutan. Knowing a word is not the same as knowing a concept. And knowing a concept is not the same as being ready to use it safely.

When respondents were asked what barriers prevent them from using digital payments and cryptocurrency, poor internet connection ranked as the number one barrier — ahead of lack of knowledge, security concerns and complicated technology. This finding is especially critical for rural communities who are already underrepresented in this survey. Without reliable internet access, crypto adoption will remain an urban privilege and will widen the existing digital divide in Bhutan rather than close it.

One of the most important analytical findings of this project is that age is a stronger predictor of crypto readiness than geographic location. This challenges the common assumption that urban residents are always more digitally advanced than their rural counterparts. While urban areas show slightly higher average scores, the difference across areas is much smaller than the difference across age groups. A 25-year-old in a rural area is significantly more ready than a 55-year-old in Thimphu.

The overall survey average is 12.75. Only the 18-24 and 25-34 age groups score above this average. All groups above 35 fall below. This tells a clear generational story — younger Bhutanese are driving readiness, while older generations need urgent and targeted support.

A surprising finding from the readiness heatmap analysis reveals that Semi-Urban respondents aged 35-54 scored the highest readiness at 15.0 out of 16 — outperforming all Urban respondents in the same age group. This directly challenges the assumption that urban areas are always more digitally advanced. Meanwhile Urban residents aged 55 and above scored the lowest at just 7.8 out of 16 — identifying this as the most vulnerable and underserved group in the entire survey.

A critical vulnerability pattern emerges from the Trust vs Security Concern analysis. All age groups show uniformly high trust in digital finance — scoring between 3.94 and 4.64 out of 5. However security concern drops sharply with age. While 18-24 year olds score 2.3 out of 5 on security concern — showing healthy awareness — the 35-44 group drops to just 1.0 out of 5, the lowest of all groups. This combination of high trust and low security awareness creates the perfect conditions for crypto scams.

When asked whether they would adopt cryptocurrency, the majority of respondents did not say No — they said Maybe. This is one of the most encouraging findings of the entire project. Maybe represents an open door. These undecided people are not against crypto — they are waiting to see it work safely in real life before they commit. The 18-24 age group shows the strongest Yes responses. The 55+ group shows the highest proportion of No. But across all groups — the Maybe responses represent a huge opportunity for targeted conversion through education, demonstration and community trust-building.