Lee Rainie, director of internet and technology research at Pew Research Center, discussed recent findings about the prevalence and impact of online harassment at the Cyber Health and Safety Virtual Summit: 41% of American adults have been harassed online and 66% have witnessed harassment. The findings come from the Center’s recent report on these issues.

1. Online Harassment 2017
Lee Rainie - @lrainie
Director Internet and Technology Research
October 11, 2017
Cyber Health and Safety Summit

3. 10/10/2017 3
41% have experienced harassment (up from 35% in 2014)
66% have witnessed it
% of U.S. adults who have experienced ____ online

4. Younger adults especially likely to encounter severe forms of
online harassment
% of U.S. adults who say they have experienced the following types of harassment online, by age

5. October 10, 2017 5www.pewresearch.org
Online harassment is subjective – some consider their
experience harassment while others do not; or are uncertain
Among the 41% of U.S. adults who meet the survey’s definition of online harassment, % who …

6. 73% of young men feel offensive content online is taken too
seriously
43
35
50
25
45
37
51
56
64
49
73
54
61
47
All adults
Men
Women
Men 18-29
Women 18-29
Men 30+
Women 30+
Too often excused Taken too seriously
% of U.S. adults who feel that offensive content online is …

7. Harassment reasons
14%
9
8
8
5
3
3
1
Political views
Physical appearance
Gender
Race/ethnicity
Religion
Sexual orientation
Occupation
Disability

8. Social media is the most common venue for online harassment
(most recent episode)

9. October 10, 2017 9www.pewresearch.org

10. Many don’t know who is behind their harassment
Among the 41% of U.S. adults who have experienced online harassment, % who say
_____ was involved in their most recent incident

11. Larger share of internet users view online environment as space
that facilitates harassment vs. 2014
62
92
68%
86
93
64%
More
anonymous
More critical of
others
More supportive
of others
2014 2017
% of internet users who say the online environment allows people to be ___ compared with their offline
experiences

12. October 10, 2017 12www.pewresearch.org
Americans see positive and negative effects of anonymity
89%
85
83
77
59
Enables people to be cruel or harass
one another
Allows discussion of sensitive topics
Makes it hard to trust what people
share
Makes people feel more private and
secure
Is important to protecting freedom of
speech
% of U.S. adults who think that people posting online anonymously …

13. One quarter of harassment targets found most experience
extremely or very upsetting
12 13 25 26 23%
Extremely Very Somewhat A little Not at all

14. Online harassment causes mental or emotional stress for 13% of
Americans – 24% of young adults
% of U.S. adults who say they have experienced the following due to online harassment

15. Most ignore harassment; when they respond it’s likely to block or
unfriend someone

16. October 10, 2017 16www.pewresearch.org
28% have chosen not to post something online after seeing
harassment of others
28%
27
16
13
47
Set up or adjusted privacy
settings
Chosen not to post something
online
Changed any info in online
profiles
Stopped using an online service
Any of these
% of U.S. adults who have ____ after witnessing harassing behaviors directed toward others
online

17. Americans look to online companies to address harassment on
their platforms -
% of U.S. adults who say people being harassed or bullied online
is …
% who say the most effective way to address online harassment is …

18. October 10, 2017 www.pewresearch.org 18
% who say online services …

19. Women are more concerned about harassment
% of U.S. adults who say…

20. 26% of Americans have had false information posted about them

21. October 10, 2017 21www.pewresearch.org
Thank you!
Email: lrainie@pewresearch.org
Twitter: @lrainie
@pewinternet
@pewresearch