Ditch the Label Reveals findings of The Annual Bullying Survey 2014

Conclusive Evidence That Exam Grades Are Affected by Bullying in Schools

One of the most comprehensive reports into the bullying of young people, The Annual Bullying Survey, will be published by national anti-bullying charity Ditch the Label on April 16^th, 2014.

The report found that 45% percent of young people had experienced bullying before the age of 18 with personal appearance being the primary reason for bullying.  61% of those bullied had been physically attacked with 30% going onto self-harm and 10% going on to attempt suicide.

Worryingly the report highlights a direct correlation between bullying and students exam grades. Those who have experienced bullying are less likely to achieve higher grades than those who have never been bullied and more likely to get grades of D and below. 56% of bullied students felt that bullying was having a negative impact on their studies.

41% of those who had never been bullied achieved A or A*grades in English.

30% of those who had been bullied in the past achieved an A or A* in English.

26% of those currently being bullied achieved an A or A* in English.

The trends were similar across Science and Maths.

Ditch the Label surveyed 3,600 young people aged between 13 – 18 years old in partnership with over 30 schools and colleges across the UK.

The Annual Bullying Survey 2014 provides an in-depth insight into the current climate of bullying within the United Kingdom. The research has highlighted key areas of concern, along with the key demographic profiles most at risk of bullying and the long-term impact that bullying is having upon the lives of millions of young people from across the country.

Key Findings for Ditch the Label’s Anti-Bullying Survey 2014:

• 45% of young people experience bullying before the age of 18.
• 26% of those bullied have experienced bullying on a daily basis.
• 40% of respondents reported being bullied for personal appearance
• 36% reported being bullied for body shape, size and weight.
• 34% reported being bullied for prejudice based reasons (homophobia/ racism/religious discrimination/disability discrimination/cultural discrimination/transphobia).
• 63% of respondents with a physical disability were bullied, and were more extremely socially excluded.
• 61% of respondents have been physically attacked.
• 30% have gone on to self-harm as a result of bullying.
• 10% have attempted to commit suicide as a result of bullying.
• 10% of respondents reported been sexually assaulted.
  • 83% said bullying had a negative impact on their self-esteem.
  • 56% said bullying affected their studies.

Liam Hackett, Founder and CEO of Ditch the Label says, “Our survey shows the profound effect bullying is having upon the studies, self-esteem and therefore future prospects of millions of young people across the UK. It is my hope that our research, message and intervention programs will be used not only to raise awareness of the severity of bullying but also help us to reframe the prejudices and perceptions within wider society.”

Professor Ian Rivers, psychologist, author and Professor of Human Development and Head of School of Sport and Education at Brunel University. Ian has been researching bullying behaviour in the UK and the USA for twenty years and has published several books on the subject.

Ian says “Ditch the Label have produced a very important report that not only shows the extent of bullying in our schools, its diversity and long-term impact, but also its effect upon pupils’ grades. Very able pupils are disadvantaged by their constant experiences of bullying and this ultimately means that schools that fail to tackle bullying effectively will also face questions from Ofsted as grades decline. Taken cumulatively this report shows that we have still got a great deal to do to ensure that our young people are safe in our schools and able to learn in a supportive educational environment.”

Ditch the Label is a national anti-bullying charity delivering support to thousands of vulnerable young people both online and offline. The charity works closely with British schools and colleges providing them with research and advice on key issues. In addition, they provide a virtual “Bullying Support Centre” for the social networking service Habbo Hotel, which is accessed by over 30,000 teens worldwide each week.

Ditch the Label will be launching a Sponsored Silence on 18^th May, 2014 to raise awareness of the 39% of young people who stay silent about being victims of bullying. To take part visit ditchthelabel.org/sponsoredsilence (original link now dead – this new link is useful http://backgroundchecks.org/cyber-bullying-helping-the-bullied-stopping-the-bullies.html) 

Annual Bullying Survey Summary:

Bullying frequency and place

• 45% of young people were bullied
• 26% on a daily basis

Bullying Reasons:

• 40% reported being bullied for personal appearance (32% of males bullied for this, 43% of females bullied for this)
• 36% reported being bullied for body shape, size and weight (27% of males bullied for this, 39% of females bullied for this)
• 34% reported being bullied for prejudice based reasons (homophobia/ racism/religious discrimination/disability discrimination/cultural discrimination/transphobia)
• 32% reported being bullied for personal interests.
• 22% said they were bullied because they got higher grades
• 14% reported being bullied for not being considered masculine or feminine enough.

Bullying Forms:

• 96% of those reporting being bullied experienced some level of verbal bullying, and 29% had experienced extreme verbal bullying (rated 8-10)
• 61% have been physically attacked, 9% had experienced an extreme physical attack (rated 8-10)
• 55% of those being bullied experienced cyberbullying.
• 25% of those being bullied have been sexually bullied
• 76% were purposefully socially excluded by their peers
• 82% experienced indirect forms of bullying
• 36% had their property stolen or damaged
• 10% were sexually assaulted

Effects bullying has on the victims:

• 83% said bullying had a negative impact on their self-esteem.
• 56% said bullying affected their studies.

Health and social effects

• 10% attempted to commit suicide
• 30% had suicidal thoughts and 30% self harmed
• 20% skipped school or class due to bullying
• 10% of bullied students turned to drug or alcohol to cope with bullying

Of those who sought support…

• 39% have never told anybody they have been bullied.
• Most bullied young people turned to family members, teachers and friends.
• Young people were least satisfied with teachers, health professionals and social networks when they turned to them for support or to report bullying.
• Over half of students (51%) were not satisfied with teacher support

The full report can be downloaded from Ditch the Label, www.ditchthelabel.org.uk on the 16^th April. (original link now dead – this new link is useful http://backgroundchecks.org/cyber-bullying-helping-the-bullied-stopping-the-bullies.html) 

Ditch the Label publish two key surveys each year: the Annual Bullying Survey and the Annual Cyberbullying Survey.  Now in its second year, The Annual Bullying Survey enables Ditch the Label to continually measure trends and changes within the sphere of bullying so that they can continue to produce help and advice and preventative solutions.

Copies of both reports can be found at www.ditchthelabel.org.(original link now dead – this new link is useful http://backgroundchecks.org/cyber-bullying-helping-the-bullied-stopping-the-bullies.html)