A recently released publication from the Institute of Education Sciences has reported on the rates of bullying among 6th to 12th grade American students from the 2022 School Crime Supplement of the National Crime Victimization Survey. The report considers bullying to be “actions taken during school by one or more students that make another student feel bad or that are hurtful to another student,” through in person or online interactions.
Out of all students surveyed, 19.2 percent reported being bullied in school. Black students’ representation of bullying encounters was below this average at 17 percent, while White students’ rate was higher at 21.6 percent. When asked where they were bullied, the most common answers for Black students were the classroom at 35.3 percent and their school’s cafeteria at 32.8 percent. Nearly 31 percent Black students who were bullied stated they believed their bullying would be ongoing rather than remain an isolated incident.
When asked what type of bullying they were subjected to, Black students were most likely to report having rumors spread about them at 10.8 percent and being made fun of, such as name-calling, at 10.4 percent. Additionally, Black students reported the reasoning behind their bullying experiences to be mostly related to their race at 26.4 percent and their appearance at 26.7 percent.
Despite their findings, the authors highlight that there are several sources of missing data from the 2022 survey. Some student responses were missing information regarding their bullying experiences, as well as what school they attended. The full study can be accessed here.
