Indicator 10: Students' Reports of Being Called Hate-Related Words and Seeing Hate-Related Graffiti

In 2005, some 11 percent of students ages 12–18 reported that someone at school had used hate-related words against them, and more than one-third (38 percent) had seen hate-related graffiti at school.

In the 2005 School Crime Supplement¹⁸ to the National Crime Victimization Survey, students ages 12–18 were asked if someone at school had called them a derogatory word having to do with their race, ethnicity, religion, disability, gender, or sexual orientation and if they had seen hate-related graffiti during the previous 6 months. With regard to hate-related words, students were also asked to specify the characteristic to which the word was directed.

In 2005, some 11 percent of students ages 12–18 reported that someone at school had used hate-related words against them (figure 10.1 and table 10.1). Five percent of students reported that the hate-related words concerned their race, 3 percent reported that the words were related to their ethnicity, about 2 percent each reported that the words concerned their religion or gender, and 1 percent each reported that the words were related to their disability or sexual orientation (table 10.2). Students were also asked if they had seen hate-related graffiti at their school—that is, hate-related words or symbols written in classrooms, bathrooms, hallways, or on the outside of the school building (figure 10.1 and table 10.1). Some 38 percent of students reported seeing hate-related graffiti at school.

Students' experiences of being called specific types of hate-related words in 2005 differed according to their sex and race/ethnicity (table 10.2). Females were more likely to report gender-related hate words than were males (3 vs. 1 percent) while male students were more likely than female students to report hate words related to both race (5 vs. 4 percent) and ethnicity (3 vs. 2 percent). White students were less likely to report race-related hate words than were Black and Hispanic students as well as students whose racial/ethnic group was categorized as "Other" (3 percent of White students vs. 7 percent of Black students, 6 percent of Hispanic students, and 9 percent of Other students).

In 2005, measurable differences were found in students' reports of being called hate-related words and seeing hate-related graffiti according to the urbanicity and sector of their schools (figure 10.1 and table 10.1). Suburban students were less likely than both urban students (9 vs. 12 percent) and rural students (9 vs. 15 percent) to report being called a hate-related word. Public school students were more likely than their private school counterparts to report being called a hate-related word (12 vs. 7 percent) and seeing hate-related graffiti (39 vs. 18 percent).

¹⁸ In 2005, the unit response rate for this survey did not meet NCES statistical standards; therefore, interpret the data with caution. For more information, please see appendix A (178 KB).