Compared with 2017, similar share of Americans have experienced any type of online harassment – but more severe encounters have become more common

January 8, 2021

The State of Online Harassment

Compared with 2017, similar share of Americans have experienced any type of online harassment – but more severe encounters have become more common

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Compared with 2017, similar share of Americans have experienced any type of online harassment – but more severe encounters have become more common

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The State of Online Harassment
Compared with 2017, similar share of Americans have experienced any type of online harassment – but more severe encounters have become more common
Majority say online harassment is a major problem; 41% have personally experienced this, with more than half of this group experiencing more severe behaviors
Roughly two-thirds of adults under 30 have been harassed online
Roughly two-thirds of adults under 30 have been harassed online
Women targeted in online harassment are more than twice as likely as men to say most recent incident was very or extremely upsetting
Growing share of Americans who’ve been harassed online cite their political views as a reason why they think they were targeted
Black, Hispanic targets of online harassment more likely than their White counterparts to say they’ve been harassed online because of their race, ethnicity
Majority of people who’ve been harassed online say the most recent experience occurred on social media
A majority say social media companies are doing an only fair or poor job addressing online harassment
Growing share of Americans who’ve been harassed online cite their political views as a reason why they think they were targeted

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ABOUT PEW RESEARCH CENTER Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts.

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