More than half of all Americans (52%) have reported experiencing online hate or harassment in their lifetimes, according to the Anti-Defamation League's (ADL) fifth annual survey of online hate and harassment. The rate is the highest since 2020.
Overall, reports of hate and harassment over the last 12 months increased by nearly every measure and within almost every demographic group. These increases were most pronounced among LGBQ+ (47%), Black/African American (38%), and Muslim (38%) respondents. The rate of harassment ever experienced was exceptionally high among transgender people, at 76%. Jewish respondents reported an increase to 26% in the past 12 months, up from 21% in 2022.
“We’re confronted with record levels of hate across the internet, hate that too often turns into real violence and danger in our communities,” said Jonathan Greenblatt, ADL CEO. “The time for talking, and for planning, is long over. It’s time to execute on the priorities set out by the White House and other policymakers, and it’s time for big tech companies to deliver on their promises to reduce hate online.”
“For years, social media platforms have been paying lip service to trust and safety, insisting their teams have things under control,” said Yael Eisenstat, ADL Vice President and head of the Center for Technology & Society. “But the lived experience of social media users is telling us a far different story – that harassment on social media is sustained and is getting worse. This is happening as the platforms continue to scale back their content moderation teams. It is time for social media companies to truly protect users against hate, and for policymakers to require transparency reporting and data disclosures on how these companies are actually enforcing their own rules.”
Rates of harassment have increased dramatically over the past 12 months. Teens ages 13-17 reported a sharp rise in online hate and harassment: 51% of teenagers experienced some form of online harassment, compared to 36% in 2022, an increase of 15 percentage points. Additionally, 33% of all adults experienced some form of online hate or harassment in the past 12 months, up from 23% in 2022.
ADL also found 80% of Jewish respondents were more likely to worry about being harassed for their religion, compared to 41% of non-Jews. And they were more likely than in past years to avoid identifying themselves as Jewish, including on social media (25% in 2023 compared to 17% in 2022).
Despite the many commitments platforms have made to reduce harmful content and improve resources for those targeted, hate and harassment plague many online spaces, though it varies across platforms. Of those who reported being harassed, 54% indicated harassment took place on Facebook. Harassment rose on Twitter (up to 27% from 21% in 2022) and on Reddit (up to 15% from 5% in 2022).
The survey of 2,139 individuals was conducted online from March 7 through March 24, 2023 by YouGov, a leading public opinion and data analytics firm, on behalf of ADL’s Center for Technology and Society. The results are weighted and representative of all Americans 18 and older.
The survey has a margin of error of +/- 2 percentage points among the total sample. The youth survey of 550 13–17-year-olds was also conducted on behalf of ADL by YouGov from March 23 through April 6, 2023. The margin of sampling error for the full sample of youth is plus or minus 4 percentage points. In an effort to understand the experiences of individuals who may be especially targeted because of their group identity, the survey included oversamples of respondents who identified as Jewish, Muslim, Black or African American, Asian American, Hispanic or Latino/a, and LGBTQ+.