Nearly 240 thousand bullying victims in 2021
Men and women are almost equally likely to experience bullying. Young people are relatively more often targeted than older people. Bullying is also more prevalent among gays, lesbians and bisexuals compared to heterosexuals. Nearly one quarter of the over-15s - i.e. nearly 3.5 million people - report having been bullied at some time.
2021 (%) | |
---|---|
Total | 1.6 |
Sex | |
Men | 1.5 |
Women | 1.7 |
Age | |
15 to 17 yrs | 3.8 |
18 to 24 yrs | 2.0 |
25 to 44 yrs | 1.7 |
45 to 64 yrs | 1.6 |
65 yrs and over | 1.0 |
Sexual orientation | |
Gays | 5.0 |
Lesbians | 2.6 |
Bisexual men | 3.9 |
Bisexual women | 4.5 |
Heterosexual men | 1.3 |
Heterosexual women | 1.5 |
More victims of traditional bullying than cyberbullying
Forty-seven percent of the respondents were only victims of traditional bullying (as opposed to online bullying or cyberbullying); 31 percent experienced only online bullying, and 19 percent were harassed in both ways. The remaining 3 percent did not answer the question how they were bullied. Young people (15 to 24-year-olds) are more likely to fall victim to online bullying while older people (the over-45s and particularly the over-65s) encounter more traditional bullying.
Around 7 in 10 victims knew the perpetrator
In 69 percent of the cases, the bullying perpetrator was known to the victim from the beginning. Two percent of the victims did not know the perpetrator initially, but found out at a later stage. Especially in cases of cyberbullying, the perpetrator was often unknown (43 percent). Nearly 6 out of 10 victims were bullied by more than one perpetrator. Older people were mostly bullied by people from their own neighbourhood, while young people were mainly harassed by fellow students or by friends.
Total (% of victims) | 15 to 24 yrs (% of victims) | 25 to 44 yrs (% of victims) | 45 to 64 yrs (% of victims) | 65 yrs and over (% of victims) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Partner | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 0.0 |
Ex-partner | 4.7 | 3.6 | 6.0 | 5.3 | 2.3 |
Family member | 3.5 | 1.7 | 3.1 | 4.5 | 5.1 |
Neighbour | 23.4 | 5.5 | 21.2 | 24.9 | 55.9 |
Friend | 6.3 | 12.2 | 5.9 | 3.9 | 2.8 |
Colleague | 9.4 | 3.2 | 11.7 | 14.6 | 2.3 |
Supervisor | 4.4 | 1.6 | 4.1 | 7.6 | 2.2 |
Fellow student or pupil | 11.4 | 37.3 | 6.6 | 1.6 | 0.4 |
Teacher or other instructor | 1.2 | 2.3 | 1.3 | 0.8 | 0.0 |
Acquaintance at sports or hobby club | 2.8 | 3.4 | 3.2 | 2.3 | 2.3 |
Caregiver | 1.2 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 1.0 |
Other known person | 13.3 | 11.7 | 12.1 | 16.3 | 11.6 |
1) More than one answer is possible. |
Nearly 60 percent experience emotional impact
Fifty-eight percent of the victims of bullying have suffered emotional or psychological consequences; 5 percent have suffered physical injuries and 7 percent have experienced financial problems. Traditional bullying is more likely to have consequences than cyberbullying, but especially a combination of the two has a great impact. Among the victims of both traditional and online bullying, 76 percent indicated they (had) suffered emotional consequences. Almost 60 percent had less trust in others as a result of the bullying, and 40 percent felt less safe. Bullying can also lead to depressive symptoms; young people were twice as likely to report this as older people.
Total (% of victims) | Traditional bullying only (% of victims) | Cyberbullying only (% of victims) | Both traditional and cyberbullying (% of victims) | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Less trust in others | 56.7 | 59.2 | 46.5 | 71.0 |
Feeling less safe | 39.7 | 43.5 | 25.9 | 56.4 |
Depressive symptoms | 27.3 | 24.4 | 18.5 | 49.9 |
Sleeping problems | 25.0 | 26.4 | 16.7 | 38.2 |
Anxiety symptoms and/or panic attacks | 20.2 | 17.3 | 14.6 | 37.7 |
Reliving the experience | 16.6 | 16.3 | 10.2 | 30.0 |
None of these | 19.9 | 14.9 | 30.7 | 10.3 |
No answer | 3.5 | 3.2 | 4.5 | 1.4 |
1) More than one answer is possible. |
7 in 10 victims reported bullying
Close to 70 percent of the victims reported the bullying incident somewhere, mainly by informing friends or family (41 percent) or notifying the police (22 percent). An official report to the police was made by 16 percent of the victims. The main reason for victims not to notify or report to the police was that 'it doesn't help anyway'. Nearly 4 in 10 victims cited this as one reason or one of the reasons.
2021 (% of victims) | |
---|---|
Share reporting incidents | 68.9 |
To friends or family | 40.7 |
To the police | 21.8 |
At school | 12.4 |
At work | 10.6 |
On social media | 6.0 |
To Veilig Thuis | 2.4 |
Via child helpline or other bullying helpline | 0.6 |
Elsewhere | 13.2 |
Share reporting officially | 15.6 |
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