By Don Hutchinson
Remember Bart, the school bully in Little House on the Prairie? Bullying in schools and schoolyards has arguably existed since the beginnings of such institutions; but the issue seems to be receiving more airtime now than ever before. The documentary Bully hit American theatres on March 30. It chronicles the lives of five bullied students. Two of the students ultimately take their lives due to the abuse they endured. Other reports confirm that bullying is a worldwide problem, one that makes children feel unsafe at school and, adult surveys confirm, may cause lifelong damage. The media is saturated with heart wrenching stories of tormented children and teens, with each story reminding us that something needs to be done. No Child should have to face this trauma.
Although public awareness of the phenomenon is increasing, statistics provide hope that bullying itself is not. Bullying statistics reveal that bullying is not in fact on the rise, at least not in Canada. Last week, The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada released By the Numbers: Rates and Risk Factors for Bullying, a report that reviews available statistics on bullying in Canada over the last decade. One key finding of the report is that rates of bullying have actually decreased over the last few years. What has changed, however, is the nature of some of the bullying, namely cyber-bullying. Electronic communication has provided a more invasive form of bullying; and social media has taken bullying from the realm of locker room taunts and cruel notes passed in class to something much more public, and arguably, much more damaging. In an age of instant messaging, Facebook and Twitter, where can kids go to escape the taunts and mocking?
Statistics Canada has surveyed thousands of Canadian students on the issue of bullying every year since 2004. The findings are optimistic.
Students bullied 1-3 times per month:
- 2005- 18%
- 2006- 22%
- 2007- 15%
- 2008- 17%
- 2009- 17%
Students bullied 4 or more times per month:
- 2005- 9%
- 2006- 10%
- 2007- 6%
- 2008- 6%
- 2009- 5%
As you can see, for both frequent and less frequent bullying, the rate is dropping. The same series of surveys notes the combined rate of bullying (more frequent and less frequent occurrences) in 2006 is 32%, and the combined rate in 2009 as 22%, another decrease. So, bullying rates in Canada are not skyrocketing as some would suggest.
Statistics Canada’s findings are generally concurrent with the World Health Organization’s Health Behaviour in School Aged Children Survey (HBSC). When the HBSC’s three most recent surveys are compared—2002, 2006, and 2010 – the number of students who bully and students who are bully-victims (students who bully others and are bullied themselves) generally demonstrates a decrease over time. The number of students bullied does show a slight increase from 20% in 2002 and 2006 to 22% in 2010. However, for students who bully others, the number drops from 15% of students in 2002 to 12% of students in 2010. For students who both bully and are bullied, the number drops from 43% in 2002 to 41% in 2010.
One more statistic worth noting is one found in the 2007 Survey for Canadian Attitudes Toward Learning, in which 35% of parents surveyed said they were bullied as a child. Considering that current rates are in the 20th percentile, it is reasonable to deduce that bullying has decreased substantially even in the span of a generation.
The good news for Canadian parents and students is that rates of bullying are decreasing. This suggests that fewer students will have to live with the lifelong scars that bullying can cause. But a question begs to be asked – what measures have worked? Increased public awareness? Living in a more diverse Canada? Seeing that plurality reflected in media? Parental engagement? School programing? And what actions are appropriate in regard to electronic bullying, that steps outside of the school zone and makes even the privacy of one’s bedroom unsafe for some?
One thing is certain, parents, educators and legislators seeking to answer that question need to rely on current data and information. A thorough knowledge of the rates and reasons for bullying is a necessary foundation for combating bullying in Canada. Otherwise, we’re firing solutions into the darkness with no idea whether or not they will hit the intended target.