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Statistics: Is Bullying Really A Significant Problem?

Bullying is a significant issue that is prevalent in our schools, and both parents and youth have a role to play in reversing this problem.

THE PROBLEM

Prevalence of Bullying in Schools

• American schools harbor approximately 2.1 million bullies and 2.7 million of their victims.
• 1 in 7 Students in Grades K-12 is either a bully or a victim of bullying.
• 56% of students have personally witnessed some type of bullying at school.
• 71% of students report incidents of bullying as a problem at their school.   90% of 4th through 8th graders report being victims of bullying
• In a recent school bullying statistics study, 77% of the students said they had been bullied. And 14% of those who were bullied said they experienced severe (bad) reactions to the abuse.
• A school bullying statistic reveals that 43% fear harassment in the bathroom at school.
• 1 out of 5 kids on a school bullying statistics and cyber bullying statistics study admit to being a bully, or doing some “Bullying.”
• 60% of middle school students say that they have been bullied, while 16% of staff believe that students are bullied.
• Student bullying is one of the most frequently reported discipline problems at school: 21% of elementary schools, 43% of middle schools, and 22% of high schools reported problems with bullying in 2005-06. This data was provided by the principal or the person most knowledgable of crime in the school.

Bias-related Bullying

• Kids who are obese, gay, or have disabilities are up to 63% more likely to be bullied than other children.
• 60% of students report bullying on the basis of looks/body size, 57 percent on the basis of gender expression, 53% on ability,
• 52% on real or perceived sexual orientation, 40% on race/ethnicity, and 33% on religion or family income.

Third-Party Witnesses, Including Teachers

• 56% of students have personally witnessed some type of bullying at school.
• Peers were present in 88% of bullying episodes.
• 1 out of 5 kids admits to being a bully or doing some bullying.
• Over 40% of school staff indicated that bullying is a prominent problem in their school.
• 35% indicated that at least one student reported bullying to them in the past month.
• 41% of school staff witnessed at least one bullying incident per week.
• 1/3 of students surveyed said they heard another student threaten to kill someone. 

Cyber bullying

• 42% of kids have been bullied while online. 1 in 4 have had it happen more than once.
• 35% of kids have been threatened online. Nearly 1 in 5 have had it happen more than once.
• 21% of kids have received mean or threatening e-mail or other messages.
• 58% of kids admit someone has said mean or hurtful things to them online. More than 4 out of 10 say it has happened more than once.
• 53% of kids admit having said something mean or hurtful to another person online. More than 1 in 3 have done it more than once.
• 58% have not told their parents or an adult about something mean or hurtful that happened to them online.

Playground Bullying Statistics

• Every 7 minutes a child is bullied.
• Adult intervention - 4%.
• Peer intervention - 11%.
• No intervention - 85%.

Lack of Current School Structures to Address Bullying

• Although willing to intervene in bullying situations, over 50% of school staff surveyed indicated that there were few formal bullying prevention activities in their schools.
• 60% report that their schools do not have a formal anti-bullying program in place.
• 25% of public schools reported that bullying occurred among students on a daily or weekly basis. A higher percentage of middle schools reported daily or weekly occurrences of bullying compared to primary and high schools.
• Only 8% of schools have any education for children about Internet safety or bullying, even though experts agree that education in this area is the key to safety.
• Reductions of 50% or more in student reports of being bullied and bullying others. Peer and teacher ratings of bullying problems have yielded roughly similar results. 

THE EFFECTS OF BULLYING

Absenteeism

• It is estimated that 160,000 children miss school every day due to fear of attack or intimidation by other students.
• 15% of all school absenteeism is directly related to fears of being bullied at school.
• According to bullying statistics, 1 out of every 10 students who drops out of school does so because of repeated bullying.

Violence and Crime: Bullying in Action

• 1 out of 20 students has seen a student with a gun at school.
• 282,000 students are physically attacked in secondary schools each month.
• Those in the lower grades reported being in twice as many fights as those in the higher grades. However, there is a lower rate of serious violent crimes in the elementary level than in the middle or high schools.
• Among students, homicide perpetrators were more than twice as likely as homicide victims to have been bullied by peers.
• 87% of students said shootings are motivated by a desire to “get back at those who have hurt them.”
• 86% of students said, “other kids picking on them, making fun of them or bullying them” causes teenagers to turn to lethal violence in the schools.
• 61% of students said students shoot others because they have been victims of physical abuse at home.
• Harassment and bullying have been linked to 75% of school-shooting incidents.
• 30% of students who reported they had been bullied said they had at times brought weapons to school.
• A bully is 6 times more likely to be incarcerated by the age of 24.
• A bully is 5 times more likely to have a serious criminal record when s/he grows up.
• Bullying was a factor in 2/3 of the 37 school shootings reviewed by the US Secret Service.
• 46% of males and about 26 percent of females have admitted to being victims in physical fights as reported in one report of bullying suicide statistics by the Bureau of Justice School.
• Children who are being bullied are 14 times more likely to suffer behavior and emotional problems.

SOLUTIONS

Effectiveness of Bullying Prevention Programs

• Studies show reductions of 50% or more in student reports of being bullied and bullying others.
• Peer and teacher ratings of bullying problems have yielded roughly similar results.

SOURCES

Bully Facts & Statistics. MBNBD. http://www.makebeatsnotbeatdowns.org/facts_new.html

Bullying Statistics / Cyber Bullying Statistics / School Bullying Statistics. How to Stop Bullying. http://www.how-to-stop-bullying.com/bullyingstatistics.html

Bullying Suicide Statistics – Bullycide - Teen Depression. Teen Depression - Statistics, Prevention, Facts on Teenage Depression.   http://www.teendepression.org/stats/bullying-suicide-statistics-bullycide/  

CDC - Home Page - Youth Violence - Violence Preveniton - Injury. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/ViolencePrevention/youthviolence/index.html

Cyber Bullying: Statistics and Tips. I-SAFE Inc. http://www.isafe.org/channels/sub.php?ch=op

Dr. Dan Olweus Bullying Research, History & Prevention Statistics. Olweus Bullying Prevention Program. http://www.olweus.org/public/bullying_research.page

Gordon, Serena. Bullies Target Obese Kids.US News Health. http://health.usnews.com/health-news/family-health/brain-and-behavior/articles/2010/05/03/bullies-target-obese-kids

Kaffenberger, Sarah, Jill DeVoe, and Kathryn Chandler. Student Reports of Bullying Results From the 2001 School Crime

Supplement to the National Crime Victimization Survey: Statistical Analysis Report. National Center for Education Statistics. 2005.

National Education Association.

National Statistics. Youth Violence Project. http://youthviolence.edschool.virginia.edu/violence-in-schools/national-statistics.html

Walk a Mile in Their Shoes: Bullying and the Child with Special Needs. Abilitypath.org. Print.