WORCESTER – A new study finds that people in Massachusetts face one of the lowest rates of bullying when compared with 41 other states.
Massachusetts ranked 39 of 41 states in the compiled results of the report on the US states that struggle the most with bullying. Delaware and North Dakota finished 40th and 41st, respectively.
Here is how Massachusetts ranked within the subcategories analyzed by researchers:
Physical Fight on School Property: 3
Bullied on School Property: 4
Bullied Online: 16
Attempted Suicides: 5
Truancy due to Bullying: 10
The report shows that 3.5 percent of Massachusetts high school students have been involved in a fight at school.
The state ranked as having the biggest problem with bullying, and the ranks of other northeast states are:
- 1 – Louisiana
- 2 – Alaska
- 3 – Mississippi
- 4 – West Virginia
- 5 – Arkansas
- 12 – New York
- 13 – New Hampshire
- 28 – Rhode Island
- 29 – Connecticut
- 37 – Maine
The study analyzed data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other sources, including their own survey of 891 in the United States to compile its findings. Researchers did not have data available from the nine states not included in the report.
See the full report on the Innerbody website and a list of resources for bullying prevention.
