Report · Money and Finance

Nearly nine in ten have never traded on event-contract platforms

Reading

Betting on real-world events remains a niche habit: 88% of Americans say they have never placed a trade on an event contract platform like Kalshi or Polymarket, according to a March 2026 Verasight survey of 1,000 U.S. adults.

The 12% who do trade are mostly occasional: 5% place trades a few times a year, 4% at least once monthly, and 2% only for major events like presidential elections or the World Cup, while just 1% trade weekly or more often.

Topline

single choice

Topline distribution

Nearly nine in ten have never traded on event-contract platforms.

On average, how often do you place trades on event contract platforms like Kalshi or Polymarket?

  • I have never placed trades on event contract platforms. 87.6%
  • A few times a year 5.2%
  • At least once monthly 3.8%
  • Only for major events (e.g., Presidential elections, Olympics, World Cup, etc.) 1.9%
  • Weekly or more often 1.5%

2026 · base n 1,000 · +/- 3.5%

Module 2: Economics, Work, & Policy

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Methodology

Full methodology
Mode
Verasight panel recruited via random address-based sampling, random person-to-person text messaging, and dynamic online targeting
Field dates
2026-03-06 → 2026-03-16
Base (unweighted)
1,000
Margin of error
+/- 3.5%
Module
Module 2: Economics, Work, & Policy

Source

Citation

Verasight Client Omnibus Survey #2026-044, fielded March 6-16, 2026, N=1,000 US adults age 18+, +/- 3.5%.

https://reports.verasight.io/r/omnibus-2026-044#q-2-24

Verasight survey methodology

How Verasight conducts surveys.

This page describes the Verasight general survey contract, separate from how the Data Library packages it. When a wave report is published, its field dates, sample sizes, and module breakdown are listed in that report.

Mode
Verasight panel recruited via random address-based sampling, random person-to-person text messaging, and dynamic online targeting.
Population
US adults age 18+.
Sample design
Surveys are run as omnibus or single-topic waves. Omnibus waves are split into modules with their own respondent set, typically around one thousand respondents per module.
Field window
Each wave specifies its own field dates. Most omnibus waves field across roughly two weeks.
Weighting
Per-module weighting to CPS targets including age, race and ethnicity, sex, income, education, region, and metropolitan status.
Partisanship benchmark
Pew Research Center's NPORS benchmarking surveys, three-year running average.
Vote benchmark
2024 presidential vote population benchmarks.
Margin of error
Typically about plus or minus 3.4 to 3.6 percent per module at standard module sizes. Question-level MoE is recomputed when a base shrinks materially below the module baseline.
Reporting
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Transparency
Verasight is a member of the American Association for Public Opinion Research Transparency Initiative.

The canonical report hub is reports.verasight.io; older reports may remain on verified legacy hosts.