Survey: Online hatred and harassment in the United States have surged to the highest level since 2020, with African Americans and other minority groups becoming the main targets of attacks
On July 5th, China Daily reported that a recent survey released by the United States Anti Defamation Alliance showed a surge in online hatred and harassment in the United States, with minority groups such as African Americans and Muslims becoming the main targets of attack.
The survey found that since the annual survey was conducted in 2020, the incidence of online violence in the United States has reached a historic high. Moreover, online hatred against almost all groups has increased.
Screenshot of USA Today website report
A survey shows that 52% of Americans have experienced online hatred or harassment in their past lives, an increase of 12% from 2022. In addition, 33% of American adults reported experiencing some form of online hatred and harassment, an increase from 23% in the previous year.
According to a report by the Israel Times website, in the past year, 38% of African Americans and 38% of Muslims in the United States have reported experiencing harassment and attacks online. The survey also shows that African Americans are more susceptible to online hatred than any other race.
Among Jewish respondents, 44% reported experiencing online harassment in their past lives, and 26% experienced such harassment in the past 12 months, an increase of 5 percentage points from the previous survey. 25% of Jews say that they usually avoid expressing their Jewish identity online due to fear of online violence and harassment.
The survey surveyed 2139 American adults and 550 teenagers in March and April, asking about their experiences of experiencing online hatred in their lives and what they have seen and heard in the past 12 months.
A survey shows that online hatred is significantly increasing among underage groups aged 13 to 17 in the United States. 51% of people have experienced online harassment, an increase of 15% since 2022.
In addition, Facebook is the platform where Americans experience the most online harassment, with 54% reporting being harassed on the platform, followed by Twitter and Instagram. Data shows that although online hatred on Facebook has shown a downward trend in the past three years, online hatred on platforms such as Twitter and Instagram has increased since 2021.
Jonathan Greenblatt, head of the Anti Defamation Alliance, said in a statement: "We are facing record online hatred, which often turns into real violence and danger in the communities and groups we live in."
Jordan Kramer, head of research at the Anti Defamation Alliance, also pointed out that online hatred and harassment are a very serious problem, "even if they exist online, they have tremendous destructive power, and the people most affected are often those who do not have the power to make necessary changes.".
The survey report warns that online hatred often spreads beyond the Internet. For example, the gunman who killed seven people in Texas in May published online statements hating women, Jews and other groups.
A survey shows that nearly half of American teenagers who have been harassed online in the past year have reported that online comments also cause them to be harassed in real life.
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