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Home Research Topics Internet & Technology Technology Policy Issues Online Harassment & Bullying
Pew Research CenterJuly 6, 2017
Online Harassment 2017

Americans divided on the balance between free speech and making others feel welcome online

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Americans divided on the balance between free speech and making others feel welcome online

Post Infographics

Online Harassment 2017
Roughly four-in-ten Americans have personally experienced online harassment
Americans look to online companies to address harassment on their platforms
Attitudes toward online harassment vary by gender
Those who have faced severe forms of online harassment differ in experiences, reactions, attitudes
More than a quarter of Americans have chosen to not post something online after seeing harassment of others
Share of Americans who experienced online harassment is up slightly from 2014
Men and women see slight increase in online harassment over time, but differences between them remain modest
14% of Americans have experienced online harassment related to their political views
Online harassment has caused mental or emotional stress for 13% of Americans overall – including 24% of young adults
Those who experience severe forms of online harassment are more likely to be targeted for personal characteristics and to face offline consequences
Social media is the most common venue for online harassment experiences
Many don’t know who is behind their online harassment; half who have been harassed say one person was behind it
Most who experience online harassment simply ignore it; among those who respond, confrontation and unfriending/blocking are the most popular approaches
Friends/family are the most common source of support during harassment experiences
One-quarter of online harassment targets found their most recent experience extremely/very upsetting
Online harassment is subjective – some consider their experience ‘harassment’ while others are uncertain
Those who face severe online harassment differ in their experiences and responses
Two-thirds of all adults have witnessed some form of online harassment
Three-in-ten Americans have intervened after witnessing online harassment
More than a quarter of Americans have chosen to not post something online after seeing harassment of others
Nearly one-in-ten Americans have experienced high levels of anxiety after witnessing harassment of others
Those who have personally experienced severe forms of online harassment are more likely to take a range of steps when they witness harassment of others
One-third of Americans have heard a great deal about online harassment; 62% view it as a major problem
Young women especially likely to view online harassment as a major problem
Larger share of internet users view the online environment as a space that facilitates anonymity than in 2014
Americans see positive as well as negative effects of anonymity
Online services, bystanders seen as having a major role to play in addressing online harassment
Americans with more awareness of online harassment expect greater involvement from various groups
Large majority of Americans support online platforms intervening when harassment occurs
Better policies/tools from online companies, stronger laws are seen as most effective ways to combat online harassment
Roughly half of those who have experienced severe forms of online harassment feel law enforcement does not take issue seriously enough
Americans divided on the balance between free speech and making others feel welcome online
Nearly three-quarters of young men feel offensive content online is taken too seriously
Half of young women have received explicit images they did not ask for
Younger adults more likely to have had false information about them posted online
Women and younger adults are more likely to try to correct false information about them posted online
One-in-ten Americans have experienced mental or emotional stress due to false information about them posted online
More than half of internet users have heard a lot about hacking
Younger adults especially likely to encounter severe forms of online harassment
Younger adults more likely to witness severe forms of online harassment

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