Bullying Statistics

I have been searching high and low for reliable sources of Bullying Statistics.

I went to the local library and took out all 12 books (It is a small library). I read books from the kids library and the adult library. I bought books about bullying. I have spent countless hours researching online. I read magazine articles…I have spoken to dozens of kids of all ages.

Bullying statistics are alarming

I have real difficulty with some of the available Bullying Statistics because I don’t know if the children being questioned have been educated or prepared in some way...Were they told it was confidential and they would not get in trouble. Do they think they had an argument with their bestie and she called them a name…And that is bullying? I know that is what my 11 year old thought when she was 9 years old thought this way.

I am also really shocked at some of the Bullying Statistics. There is such a difference. There are stats that suggest Bullying is decreasing. There are stats that suggest it is on the rise. It all depends on our perspective. Statistics are just numbers. It is the understanding and meaning we give them that are important.

I gathered as many Statistics as I could sifting through and attempting to determine if there was any education and whether or not it was a reliable source. The search took weeks the verification is ongoing…

It is my most sincere desire to give an honest picture not minimizing and not blowing the situation out of proportion either…It is a balancing act. I also believe which is not popular opinion many one off situations of bullying are not bullying. Kids make mistakes… They learn and move on… We need to slow down and look at what we are calling bullying. As parents we need to be open minded enough to consider the target or the bully could be our child.

There are hundreds of surveys done about bullying… probably thousands and many are contradictory… I took the following bullying statistics from several different schools and my own personal research in talking to 100’s of kids about bullying and averaged the stats to get the most accurate information.

Bullying statistics are higher than Expected

The following Statistics are a combination of surveys done at different American and Canadian Schools in 2011/12:

• 25% of teens are Bullied Vs.  Younger ages 8 to 12 report much higher : 75%

•70 % students experienced harassment at school and online. 

 • 20% of kids admit to being a bully, or doing some "Bullying."

 • 43% fear harassment in the bathroom at school.  

 • More violence was reported occurring on school grounds as opposed to on the way to school.  

 • 33% of students surveyed said they heard another student threaten to kill someone. 

• 66% say they know how to make a bomb, or know where to get the information to do it.  (I would have to say 99% have access to the internet…if they want to make a bomb…all the info they need is online…Scary thought eh?)

• On average kids reported Adult intervention -4%

Peer intervention - 11%. No intervention - 85%.  of the time 

• 80% of the time, an argument with a bully will end up in a physical fight.

• A poll of teens ages 12-17 confirmed that they think violence increased at their schools.

The Centre For Youth Social Development, UBC Faculty of Education asked a little bit different questions and got some interesting answers:

· 64 per cent of kids had been bullied at school.

· 12 per cent were bullied regularly (once or more a week).

· 13 per cent bullied other students regularly (once or more a week).

· 72 per cent observed bullying at school at least once in a while.

· 40 per cent tried to intervene.

· 64 per cent considered bullying a normal part of school life.

· 20-50 per cent said bullying can be a good thing (makes people tougher, is a good way to solve problems, etc.).

· 25-33 per cent said bullying is sometimes OK and/or that it is OK to pick on losers.

· 61-80 per cent said bullies are often popular and enjoy high status among their peers.

Observations about bullying statistics

One set of surveys shows 20% admit to bullying…the other shows 13%. That is a huge difference when you consider there are millions of kids. However, both stats indicate these kids need help in order to be able to deal with their feelings and avoid bullying to meet their needs.

More of our younger children (75% Vs 25% of teens) are being bullied. This could indicate that bullying is reduced as children age. Unfortunately, as children age into tweens and teens fewer kids are bullied but the kids who are bullied experience more severe bullying.

what does it all mean

Statistics can be misleading. However, if used appropriately you can use them to your advantage to understand the problem and come up with solutions.

Bullying in all its forms is becoming an epic dilemma for our children, teens and tweens. Cyber Bullying and the threat of Bullycide have taken this issue to a whole new level.

Bullying Statistics show our children's lives are at risk. Even the lowest statistics indicate there is a problem that requires attention. As with any problem the solution is always to start NOW and work on solutions and as you proceed better tools will come along.

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