California has earned the dubious honor of having the worst bullying problem in the U.S., according to a new study.
Researchers at WalletHub examined 47 states and the District of Columbia on 20 key metrics ranging from bullying-incident rates to truancy costs for schools, to the share of high school students bullied online.
“About 20% of students ages 12-18 experience bullying, whether in-person, online or both,” WalletHub states.
The states with the worst bullying problems according to the study are:
- California
- Alaska
- Nevada
- New Jersey
- Louisiana
Those with the least rated bullying problems are:
- Delaware
- Massachusetts
- Rhode Island
- District of Columbia
- Maine
WalletHub produced an interactive map with state bullying ranks (above) and also broke down California’s overall bullying ranks (below) into several specific categories.
Bullying Prevalence & Prevention in California (1=Biggest, 24=Avg.):
- Overall rank for California: 1st
- 3rd – % of High School Students Bullied on School Property
- 29th – % of High School Students Bullied Online
- 1st – % of High School Students Involved in Physical Fights at School
- 18th – % of High School Students Who Missed School for Fear of Being Bullied
- 1st – Cost of Truancy for Schools Due to Bullying
- 9th – State Anti-Bullying Laws & Policies
- 2nd – State Anti-Cyberbullying Laws Requiring School Policy