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

In 2007, 10 percent of students ages 12–18 reported that someone at school had used hate-related words against them, and 35 percent had seen hate-related graffiti at school.

In the 2007 School Crime Supplement²⁸ 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 at school.²⁹ 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. With regard to hate-related words, students were asked to specify the characteristic to which the word was directed.³⁰ In 2007, 10 percent of students ages 12–18 reported that someone at school had used hate-related words against them during the school year (figure 10.1 and table 10.1). Thirty-five percent of students reported seeing hate-related graffiti at school during the school year.

In 2007, students' experiences of being called specific types of hate-related words and seeing hate-related graffiti differed according to student and school characteristics. For example, a smaller percentage of 12th-graders (6 percent) reported being targets of a hate-related word than 6th-graders (12 percent); 7th-graders, 8th-graders, and 9th-graders (11 percent each); and 10th-graders (9 percent). A higher percentage of public school students reported being called a hate-related word and seeing hate-related graffiti than did private school students. In 2007, 10 percent of public school students reported being called a hate-related word and 36 percent reported seeing hate-related graffiti compared to 6 percent of private school students who reported being called a hate-related word and 19 percent who reported seeing hate-related graffiti. A higher percentage of White students and students of other races/ethnicities than Asian students reported seeing hate-related graffiti. However, no other measurable differences were found by race/ ethnicity or by sex in the percentages of students who reported being called hate-related words or seeing hate-related graffiti.

Between 2001 and 2007, the percentage of students who reported being the target of a hate-related word decreased from 12 to 10 percent. Between the two most recent survey years, 2005 and 2007, the percentage of students who reported being the target of a hate-related word was lower in 2007 (10 percent) than in 2005 (11 percent). There was no pattern of increase or decrease in the percentage of students who reported seeing hate-related graffiti between 1999 and 2007. However, the percentage of students who reported seeing hate-related graffiti was smaller in 2007 (35 percent) than in 2005 (38 percent).

With regard to the specific characteristic to which the hate-related word was directed, in 2007, 5 percent of students reported hate-related words concerning their race, 3 percent reported words related to their ethnicity, 2 percent each reported words concerning their religion or gender, and 1 percent each reported words related to their disability or sexual orientation (figure 10.2 and table 10.2).

Students' experiences of being targets of specific types of hate-related words in 2007 differed according to their sex and race/ethnicity (table 10.2). A greater percentage of female students than male students (3 vs. 1 percent) reported being called a gender-related hate word. However, a greater percentage of male students than female students reported being called hate-related words relating to race and ethnicity. Five percent of male students compared to 4 percent of female students reported being targets of a hate-related word regarding race and 4 percent of male students compared to 2 percent of female students reported being targets of a hate-related word regarding ethnicity. A smaller percentage of White students (3 percent) reported being called race-related hate words than Black students (7 percent), Hispanic students (6 percent), Asian students (11 percent), and students from other race/ethnicities (8 percent). Smaller percentages of both White students and Black students (2 percent each) reported hate-related words regarding their ethnicity than Hispanic and Asian students (7 percent each).

This indicator has been updated to include 2007 data. For more information: Tables 10.1 and 10.2 and Bauer et al. (2008).

²⁸ In 2005 and 2007, the unit response rate for this survey did not meet NCES statistical standards; therefore, interpret the data with caution. In 2007, the reference period was the school year, whereas in prior survey years the reference period was the previous 6 months. Cognitive testing showed that estimates from 2007 are comparable to previous years. For more information, please see appendix A (301 KB).
²⁹ "At school" includes the school building, on school property, on a school bus, and, from 2001 onward, going to and from school.
³⁰ "Hate-related" refers to derogatory terms used by others in reference to students' personal characteristics.

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