More than 4 in 10 U.S. Adults Have Been Harassed Online

Most see Internet behavior as a major problem

Influence Magazine on July 19, 2017

Cyber bullying doesn’t just affect kids. According to a new Pew Research Center survey, 41 percent of U.S. adults have personally experienced harassment on the Internet, and 66 percent have witnessed online harassment directed at others.

The personal encounters range from offensive name-calling (27 percent) and purposeful embarrassment (22 percent) to more troubling behavior, with 18 percent experiencing more severe forms of harassment online, such as physical threats, harassment over a sustained period, sexual harassment, or stalking.

A majority of U.S. adults (62 percent) see online harassment as a major problem, but only 30 percent of all respondents say they have intervened in some way after seeing someone else victimized online.

The survey found that some people are more likely than others to be subjected to abuse online. Among 18- to 29-year-olds, 67 percent have been targeted, with 41 percent experiencing the most severe types of harassment.

More than 20 percent of women in that age group have been sexually harassed online, and 53 percent have received explicit images they did not ask for. Some 35 percent of women who have experienced online harassment describe their most recent incident as extremely or very upsetting, compared to 16 percent of men.

One in 4 blacks and 1 in 10 Hispanics say they have experienced racially charged harassment online, compared to 3 percent of whites.

Similar percentages of Democrats and Republicans say they have been mistreated online because of their political views, with 14 percent of all respondents reporting harassment specifically related to politics. Five percent of all adults surveyed said they had been harassed because of their religion.

The number of adults experiencing harassment has increased 6 percentage points since the last Pew survey on the topic in 2014.

For information on how to discuss sensitive topics in a Christian manner, read “How to Debate Hot-Button Issues Well.”

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