July 8, 2021

SAN SALVADOR (Reuters) – In a snub to El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele, extra than 3-quarters of Salvadorans are skeptical of the maverick leader’s push to adopt the cryptocurrency bitcoin as parallel authorized tender, in accordance to a poll released on Thursday.

In a to start with for bitcoin past thirty day period, Bukele’s allies in Congress authorized legislation giving it formal forex status in the little Central American country, a go no other nation has taken. Bukele has touted bitcoin adoption as a way to facilitate remittance payments from Salvadorans living abroad.

El Salvador for years has utilised the U.S. greenback as its nationwide forex.

Done by pollster Disruptiva, which is affiliated with Francisco Gavidia University, the study showed that about 54% of folks seen the bitcoin adoption as “not at all correct” though yet another 24% described it as “only a minimal proper.”

Not rather 20% accepted of the cryptocurrency program.

The poll surveyed 1,233 men and women across El Salvador amongst July 1-4 and capabilities a margin of error of 2.8%.

“This is a risky wager on digital transformation,” stated Oscar Picardo, head of Disruptiva’s institute of science, technological know-how and innovation, at an event presenting the effects of the study.

The poll also showed that 46% of respondents knew “nothing” about bitcoin, though practically 65% mentioned they would not be open to staying paid in the cryptocurrency.

(Reporting by Nelson Renteria Writing by David Alire Garcia Enhancing by Sandra Maler)