Girls perceive online hate speech more strongly than boys
While a third of boys consider hateful comments on the internet interesting or entertaining, only 10% of girls find such comments interesting and 14% entertaining.
These are the findings of the latest JAMESfocus reportExternal link by the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) and Swisscom, which surveyed 1,000 young people aged 12-19 throughout Switzerland.
According to the report, three-quarters of the girls said they were horrified or saddened by hate speech, whereas only 40% of boys were. What’s more, almost half of the male participants expressed understanding for some hate comments.
“On the one hand, it could be that boys are oriented towards the role of the strong, dominant man who has to be able to take a punch sometimes and who can’t be harmed by such comments but who is even amused by them,” said ZHAW media psychologist Céline Külling in a statement on Monday.
More
More
Swiss App aims to counter hate speech online
This content was published on
Women’s organisation Alliance F has launched a first Swiss App to track and counter hate speech on the Internet.
“On the other hand, studies show that men are more likely to be among the perpetrators of hate speech, which could also increase understanding of such comments.”
Discrimination based on appearance
The study found that over half (53%) of girls regularly encounter hate speech, compared with 41% of boys, with 16- to 19-year-olds being particularly affected.
“However, it is difficult to assess whether girls actually face such messages more often or whether there are different perceptions of what is perceived as hate speech in the first place,” Külling said.
Young people are most often insulted on the internet because of their appearance, which was reported mainly by girls (81%). However, the respondents also observed discrimination based on sexual orientation, place of origin and skin colour. Almost all of the respondents (94%) said they found anonymous hate comments cowardly.
If young people encounter hate speech that does not apply to them personally, they should offer support to those affected, the authors recommended. In addition, objecting to and countering such comments is important to set an example, they added.
Swiss justice minister hopes EU reform will reduce irregular migration
This content was published on
The European Union’s (EU) New Pact on Migration and Asylum aims to curb irregular migration within Schengen, Justice Minister Beat Jans said on Tuesday.
Swiss electricity supply outlook positive despite uncertainties
This content was published on
Thanks to well-filled gas stores in Europe and increased availability of French nuclear power, the Swiss Federal Electricity Commission is optimistic.
Finance minister wants Swiss banks to hold more equity
This content was published on
Finance Minister Karin Keller-Sutter has repeated calls for banks and their holdings in subsidiaries abroad to hold more equity.
Telecoms sector kept Swiss competitions regulator busy in 2023
This content was published on
Last year, the Swiss Competition Commission (COMCO) conducted 27 investigations and initiated 17 preliminary investigations.
This content was published on
Although Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) achieved higher revenue at the start of the year, it suffered a dip in profits.
40,000 signatures against animal testing in Switzerland
This content was published on
Switzerland should do away with “restrictive” animal testing and should become a model for innovative, effective, and pain-free scientific research.
More than 45,000 signatures in favour of federal funding for UNRWA
This content was published on
The Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives (FAC) is expected to decide on the funding of the UNRWA at the beginning of the week.
This content was published on
At the end of January 2024, 6,881 men and women were behind bars in Switzerland. Almost 95% of all places were occupied, the highest number since 2014.
Coronavirus: ‘Fears, rumours and stigma’ cause bullying in Switzerland
This content was published on
A Taiwanese student at the University of Lucerne recounts how she was mocked for being Asian amid the coronavirus outbreak.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.