The share of Americans who say stocks or mutual funds are the best long-term investment dropped in April 2025, compared to the same period last year.
In the latest Gallup survey, 16 percent of adults say stocks or mutual funds are the best long-term investment, erasing slight gains made in April 2024, when 22 percent held this view.
In 2023, 15 percent said stock/mutual funds were the best long-term investment, down from 18 percent in 2022 and 26 percent in 2021.
Gold also saw a slight uptick in popularity in 2025, with 23 percent saying it’s the best long-term investment, up from 18 percent last April.
All other responses are virtually unchanged.
A plurality, 37 percent, of Americans still say real estate is the best long-term investment, while 13 percent prefer savings accounts and CDs, 5 percent prefer bonds, and 4 percent prefer cryptocurrency.
The poll was conducted in the first two weeks of April — mostly after April 2, when President Trump announced sweeping tariffs that sent the stock market on a nosedive.
The market has since significantly rebounded but still has been subject to extreme volatility, and some economists have warned about the possibility of a recession.
Meanwhile, the price of gold has soared to new records as investors look for safe places to park their money amid uncertainty in the markets.
The survey was conducted on April 1-14, 2025, with 1,006 adults. The margin of error is 4 percentage points.
