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"Ozy and Millie" © 1999 by D.C. Simpson, and appears here by permission.
In the United States, in 1991, "about one in four public school teachers rated physical conflicts among students as being a serious or moderately serious problem in their schools".1 Judging by other surveys, they weren't kidding.
In 1989, 3.4 percent of U.S. students in grades 6 through 12 responding to a national survey reported that they had been physically attacked at school during the previous six months. That number is lowered quite a bit by the inclusion of 12th graders, since only 1.2 percent of 12th graders reported being physically attacked. But 5.7 percent of 6th graders reported being physically attacked, and 5.4 percent of 7th graders did.2
In a similar survey in 1993, 4 percent of U.S. students in grades 6 through 12 reported having been physically attacked. 5% of middle school students reported having been physically attacked, and 3% of high school students did. 3
In 1995, these statistics had risen still further. A similar survey of 6th through 12th graders found that 4.2 percent reported that they had been physically attacked during the previous six months. Once again, 12th graders skewed the results, with only 1.7 percent of them reporting physical attacks. 6.7 percent of 6th graders reported experiencing physical attacks; 6.6 percent of 7th graders did.4
(One important caveat should be made. At least in the 1989 and 1995 surveys, students who reported both having been physically attacked and having had their property damaged or destroyed were counted only in the composite figures for physical attacks and property crimes (which were 14.5 percent in 1989 and 14.6 percent in 1995), and not in the specific physical-attack figures.)5
Those studies, which showed clearly that 12th graders are the least likely of all grades to experience -- or at least to report -- physical attacks in school, give all the more meaning to a study the University of Michigan has been doing for the past twenty years. According to U. Michigan researchers, the percentage of 12th graders who have reported that they had been purposely injured at school during the past year has been fluctuating for the past twenty-five years from a low of 15.5 percent in 1993 to a high of 20.7 in 1981.6
And these are just the reports of physical violence. Surveys of bullying -- threats and harassment -- show far higher percentages. In 1993, for instance, 17% of middle school students reported having been bullied, physically attacked, or robbed at school in the past six months, and 8% of senior high school students did.7
1. W. Mansfield, D. Alexander, and E. Farris, Fast Response Survey System: Teacher Survey on Title, Disciplined, and Drug-Free Schools, FRSS 42, U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 1991 (NCES 91-091), as quoted in Student Victimization at School. U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 1995 (NCS-95-204).
2. U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, School Crime Supplement to the National Crime Victimization Survey, 1989 and 1995, as quoted in Nonfatal Student Victimization -- Student Reports . U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 1998.
3. Student Victimization At School . U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 1998
4. U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, School Crime Supplement to the National Crime Victimization Survey, 1989 and 1995, as quoted in Nonfatal Student Victimization -- Student Reports. U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 1998.
5. Student Victimization . Subsection of Student Reports of School Crime: 1989 and 1995. U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 1998.
6. University of Michigan, Survey Research Center, Monitoring the Future Study, 1976 to 1996, as quoted in Nonfatal Student Victimization -- Student Reports. U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 1998.
7. Student Victimization At School. U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 1998
Please note that the year given is the date of the article's publication, which will probably not be the same as the year of the data-collection for the survey. Most surveys take a year or two to be published.
First Study of School Bullying is Derided -- Article by Amisha Padnani for the Staten Island Advance.
Parenting Week: Bullying -- Article by Dan Loeterman for the Book of Odds.
Pennsylvania Schools Report Decrease in Bullying Behaviors -- Pennsylvania has been implementing the Olweus program. Press release by the Highmark Foundation, web-published on PRNewswire.
Survey: Bullies Prey on Autistic Kids -- Article on a survey of 400 Massachusetts parents of children with Asperger's, by Laura Crimaldi for the Boston Herald. See also Autism and Bullying: How Bad Is It, by Lisa Jo Rudy for About, and 9 in 10 Kids with Autism Bullied at School, by Shaun Heasley for Disability Scoop.
Classroom No Haven from Bullying in School -- Article on an anonymous online survey of ~10,000 middle-schoolers. Article web-published by UPI.
New Report Shows Most of Illinois LGBT Youth are Harassed -- Brief article about a GLSEN report. Article web-published by 365Gay.
The Best Protectors From Bullies? Girls -- A survey found that more girls than boys say they are likely to help bullying victims. Article by Cathy Keen for the University of Florida.
Study Sheds Light on Hazing in Schools -- A survey of over 11,000 college freshmen found that 47% of them had been hazed in high school. Article by Veronica Cintron for WWLP. See also Many Students Experience Hazing in High School, Study Says, web-published by US News and World Report, and High School Hazing Rife, Growing More Brutal, an AP article, web-published by MSNBC.
Gay Students Don't Feel Safe in Pa. Schools, Report Says -- Survey of 242 Pennsylvania students who answered a GLSEN survey in 2007. Article by Eleanor Chute for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Zero Unsafe Schools? Officially, Yes -- Article by Heather Vogell for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Effective Ways to Address Bullying -- Article by April Thomas for the Cape Cod Times.
Putting the Block on Bullies -- Article web-published by the Daily News Tribune.
Majority of Students Say They Were Bullied -- 2009 survey of sixth and seventh grade students at an Illinois middle school. Article by Daniel Winningham for the Pekin Daily Times.
Bullies Beware -- Article on an Iowa survey of 66 parents, who were asked what bullying their child had experienced. Article by Larry Peterson for the Creston News Advertiser.
UF Study Shows That Bullies Act on Assumptions -- If the study does show that, we never find that out from the article, but there are some other statistics in it. Article by Jimmie Paul for the Alligator.
Bullying And Being Bullied Linked To Suicide In Children,... -- Article about a literature review conducted by researchers from Yale, web-published by Science Daily. See also Bullying May Push Teens Toward Suicide, web-published by OneIndia, and Bullies, Victims More Likely to Consider Suicide, web-published by Reuters India.
Anti-Gay Harassment Still Strong in High Schools -- Article about a nationwide survey of 6209 middle and high school students conducted by GLSEN. Article by Carolyn Goossen for New America Media.
Bullycide -- Aug. 14, 2008. -- Article about openly gay teen Marvin Novelo, web-published by WINK.
Vt. Girls Report Facing Bullying, Harassment -- News article about a 2007 survey of 211 Vermont girls, by Daphne Larkin for the Times-Argus.
Isle Schools Must Fight Bullying, Panel Says -- Article about school bullying in Hawaii. Article web-published by the Star-Bulletin.
California Schools Filled With Bullies -- Article citing a 2005 study conducted by WestEd. Article web-published by the Daily Press. See also Bullying Persists Despite Schools' Efforts, Study Finds, by Shirin Parsavand for the Press-Enterprise.
Gifted Children Especially Vulnerable to Effects of Bullying -- Survey of 432 gifted eighth-graders in eleven states, released in 2006. Press release web-published by AScribe.
Md. to Use Data to Combat Bullying -- Newspaper article about a 2005 report giving statistics on incidents of bullying and harassment in Maryland schools. Article by Lori Aratani for the Washington Post.
Obesity and Bullying Linked -- News article about a study of 5749 children. Article web-published by CBS.
Bullies, Bullied Armed and Dangerous -- Newspaper account of a 1998 WHO survey of 15,686 students in grades 6 through 10, web-published by CBS News.
Peer Groups Influence Early Adolescent Bullying Behavior -- Press release about a 1999-2000 survey of 475 students at a rural middle school.
Non-Fatal Student Victimization: Student Reports -- 2000 report summarizing statistics from (in some instances) as far back as 1976. Web-published by the National Center for Education Statistics
Survey Finds Girls Worry as Much about Taunts as about Physical Violence -- Online survey of 2,279 girls aged 8-17, conducted by the Girl Scout Research Institute- in April 2003. Article by Monica L. Haynes for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Bullying in Schools Pervasive, UCLA Study Finds -- Newspaper report of a study of ~1900 sixth-graders in Los Angeles public schools. Article web-published by Eurekalert.
Harassment a School Fixture -- In a June 2001 survey of 2,064 students in grades 8 through 11, conducted by Harris Interactive for the AAUW, four out of five students said they had been sexually harassed by their schoolmates. Article by Jane Elizabeth for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Student Victimization -- Specific statistics from the more general report Students' Reports of School Crime: 1989 and 1995 , web-published by the National Center for Education Statistics
Student Victimization At School -- Results of a nationwide survey given in 1993 to students in 6th through 12th grade, web-published by the National Center For Education Statistics.
Student Strategies to Avoid Harm at School -- Results of a nationwide survey given in 1993 to students in 6th through 12th grade, web-published by the National Center For Education Statistics.
Study Shows Bullying Harms School Performance -- Study by the National Centre for Social Research. Article web-published by Children and Young People Now.
Rising Problem of Sexual Bullying in Schools -- Statistics on sexual bullying among school-aged children in Britain. Article web-published by the BBC. See also Thousands Excluded for Sexual Bullying in Schools, by Nicola Woolcock for the Times and 3500 Pupils Suspended for Sexual Bullying, by Jessica Shepherd for the Guardian.
Witnesses to Bullying May Face More Health Risks Than Bullies and Victims -- Press release about a survey of 2002 students at English public schools. Press release, oddly, by the American Psychological Association, web-published by EurekAlert. See also Bullying Doesn't Just Affect Victims..., by Shannon Proudfoot for Canada.com.
Children "Carry Knives to Fend Off Bullies" -- Article by Alexandra Frean for the Times, based on a survey of 300 children by Children's Rights Director Roger Morgan.
71% of Pupils Admit to Being a Bully -- BBC article reporting the results of a survey of 3000 students conducted by Beatbullying.
White Children Most Likely to be Bullied -- Article by Joanna Sugden for the Times.
"One in Four Children Bullied at School" -- Article about a study of 150,000 students between the ages of 10 and 15. Article web-published by InTheNews.
"Handful" of Bullying Expulsions -- Article web-published by the BBC.
Survey Shows Bullying Rife in Schools -- Article about an NSPCC survey of 1172 children aged between 11 and 16. Article by Debbie Andalo for the Guardian.
Disabled Bullying "Overlooked" -- Article web-published by the BBC.
One in Five Calls to Helpline Over Children Being Bullied -- Article about calls to Childline in 2006-07. Article by Lisa Smyth for the Belfast Telegraph..
Children's Worries Over Bullying -- Article about a survey of high school students in Suffolk, web-published by the Evening Star.
School Bus Bullying "On the Rise" -- Mar. 26, 2007 -- Article web-published by the BBC.
Steep Rise in Bullying Compensation -- 2006 article web-published by the Guardian.
Seven in Ten Schoolchildren are Bullied -- Newspaper article about a 2006 survey of 8574 students, parents, teachers and adults. Article web-published by the Evening Standard.
Teens Truant Over Face Jibes -- BBC account of a 2002 survey of nearly a thousand students from the Bristol area.
New Research Dispels Popular Myth That a Bully's Words Will Never Hurt You -- Survey of 331 secondary school students in Britain, conducted by Dr. Stephen Joseph at the University of Warwick. Article web-published by EurekAlert
Control Freaks "Create Bully Victims" -- Results of research drawn from three surveys and a series of one-to-one interviews conducted between 1996 and 2000, published by the young people's charity Young Voice. Article web-published by the BBC.
Pupils Suffer Bullying "Misery" -- In 2000, Childline received over 22,000 calls from children who were being bullied. Article web-published by the BBC.
Parents Should Discipline Bullies -- A survey of 2433 adults in the UK found that 67% reported having been bullied by their schoolmates; 14% said that the bullying had been serious. Article web-published by the BBC.
Teachers Report More Lesson Disruptions According to a survey of 2500 teachers in England and Wales, 43% of teachers hear children threatening other children at least once a week. Article web-published by the BBC.
'Suicide Wish' of Gay Bullying Victims -- BBC news article reporting on a survey of the long-term results of bullying.
Report Reveals Widespread Bullying -- BBC article about a survey of 2500 secondary school students in England and Wales. See also Bullying "Rife" in Schools, also web-published by the BBC.
Students Face Racial Harassment -- BBC news article reporting the results of a survey conducted by the University of Ulster.
Four in 10 Children Bullied -- BBC news article reporting the results of a poll of 1000 U.K. children aged 7 to 16.
Bullies Target Stammerers, Says Study -- BBC report of a study published in the British Journal of Psychology. See also Device Helps Woman Overcome Stutter, web-published by ABC.
Victorian School Bullying is Out of Control, Report Says -- Article about a survey in Victoria. 2009 article by Bruce McDougall and John Masanauskas for the Herald Sun.
School Bullying Shame -- Article about a survey of bullying in Northern Territory Schools, web-published in 2009 by the Northern Territory News.
Bullying at School Scars Adulthood -- Article about a survey of 1200 Sydney adults. Article by Heath Gilmore and Jonathan Dart for the Sydney Morning Herald. See also Childhood Bullying Affects Adult Life, by Connie Agius for ABC.
Are Your Kids Being Bullied? -- Editorial about bullying in Victorian schools, web-published by the Herald Sun.
School Bullying Worse Than Reported: Expert -- 2008 article about the incidence of bullying in South Australia, by Maria Moscaritolo for the Advertiser.
Thousands of WA Kids Suffering -- Article about a Western Australian survey, web-published by the Sunday Times.
Bullying "Pushing Homosexual Students to Suicide" -- Article about a survey of 164 lesbigay students in Queensland, by Nic McBean for ABC.
School Bullying Can Be Controlled: Study -- News article about a survey of 4000 high school students in Sydney. Article web-published by the Age.
No Quick Fix for School Bullying: Professor -- Interview with anti-bullying expert Ken Rigby, who quotes several statistics about bullying in Australia and elsewhere. Article by Eleanor Hall for ABC.
Bullies Take Sticks and Stones From Playground to Internet -- Newspaper article about a nationwide survey of 13,000 Australian girls. Article by Hannah Edwards for the Sydney Morning Herald.
Anti-Bullying Policies Failing to Cut School Harassment -- Survey of 200 Adelaide students in Years Eight and Nine. Article by Tanya Nolan for the ABC.
Bullying Felt Even in Classroom, Study Suggests -- Article about a survey of 10,000 middle school students. Article by Jim Gibson for the Times Colonist.
Nearly Half of Students Say They Have Been Bullied -- Article about a 2007 county survey by Leigh Blenkhorn for the Barrie Advance.
Bullies Target Girls Who Think They're Pretty -- News article about a 2003 survey of 2300 Ontario students aged 12 to 18. Article by Rosemary Westwood for the Calgary Herald.
Bullies Thrive on Violence to Satisfy a Craving -- Article by Randy Shore for the Vancouver Sun.
Bullying: Information for Parents and Teachers -- Fact sheet produced by the London [Ont.] Family Court Clinic.
One in Seven Students Suffer Cyber Bullying -- Article about a survey of 2790 students, by Emmet Ryan for ENN.
Online Bullying Affects One in Three Children -- Article by James Ihaka for the New Zealand Herald.
Bullying Rife in FS Schools -- Article web-published by News24.com.
Bullied Teens Often Take Painkillers to Cope -- News article about a survey of 5200 Danish 11-to-16-year-olds. Article by Megan Rauscher for Reuters.
Every Fourth Child in Bulgaria.... -- Brief news article about a survey conducted in Sofia. Article web-published by News.bg.
Adults Blind to School Bullies -- Article web-published by Uutiset.
More Students Threatened at School by Peers -- Article web-published by Uutiset.
Bullies and Victims Both Develop Psychiatric Problems -- Article web-published by MedIndia.
Schoolyard Bullies, Victims Have Problems Later On -- Reuters article about a study of ~5000 Finnish children.
Lessons from School Violence -- News article about a survey of 200 primary and secondary school students. Article by Audrey Pottinger for the Jamaica Gleaner.
New Report on School Bullying -- Survey of 3000 students in 300 Spanish schools. Article by m.p. for Typically Spanish.
Adolescents Think School Bullying Will Keep on Happening.... -- Press release about Jesus Caurcel Cara's doctoral thesis at the University of Granada, published by Eurekalert.
Survey Reveals Disturbing Scale of Bullying Problem, by Shelley Shan for the Taipei Times.
"Ozy and Millie" © 1999 by D.C. Simpson, and appears here by permission.
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