6. Prevalence of students being bullied at school*

Bullying contributes to a climate of fear and intimidation in schools. Students ages 12 through 18 were asked if they had been bullied (that is, picked on or made to do things they did not want to do) at school.

• In 1999, about 5 percent of students ages 12 through 18 reported that they had been bullied at school in the last 6 months (table 6.1). In general, females were as likely as males to report being bullied.
• Males were more likely to be bullied in grades 6 and 7 than were females (12 percent versus 7 percent respectively), while there was little difference in the percentage of males and females being bullied in the other two grade levels (table 6.1 and figure 6.1).
• There were few differences among racial/ethnic groups in the percentage of students who reported being bullied (table 6.1). The exception was that white and black students were more likely to report being victimized by bullies than were students of other, non-Hispanic origin. About 2 percent in this group, which includes Asians, Pacific Islanders, American Indians, and Alaskan Natives, reported being bullied, compared with about 5 percent of white and 6 percent of black students.
• Students in lower grades were more likely to be bullied than students in higher grades (table 6.1 and figure 6.1). About 10 percent of students in grades 6 and 7 reported being bullied, compared with about 5 percent of students in grades 8 and 9 and about 2 percent in grades 10 through 12.

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