The Northern Ireland Anti-Bullying Forum has welcomed new research that shows bullying remains a key issue for children and young people across Northern Ireland.

The results of this year’s Kid’s Life and Times (KLT) and Young Life and Times (YLT) were published last week at an event in Belfast. The two annual surveys are undertaken by ARK, a joint initiative from Queen’s University Belfast and the University of Ulster. A wide range of topics were covered in both studies, which involved 4,757 Year 7pupils (KLT) and 1,939 16 year olds (YLT).

A full briefing can be viewed here.

Key Findings: Bullying

Kid’s Life and Times (Year 7 Pupils)

• 80% said they were “mostly happy” during their time at their school.
• 49% thought that pupils in their school got bullied by other pupils, with 5% saying this happened “A lot”.
• 22% said they have been physically bullied at school in the last two months.
• 29% said they have been bullied in other ways at schools in the last two months.
• 13% said they have ever been bullied by someone sending nasty texts or putting bad things about them on the internet.
• 17% have seen a child with autism being bullied.

Young Life and Times (16 Year Olds)

• 39% have witnessed racist bullying or harassment in their school.
• 26% know someone who has been a victim of racist harassment or assault outside school.
• 18% have seen a young person with autism being bullied.
• 88% agree (60% ‘strongly agree’ and 28% ‘agree’) that insulting or bullying somebody for being gay or lesbian is a serious issue that should be challenged in schools.
• Half have been called names that are homophobic in nature, with 22% experiencing this weekly or more often. Males (66%) were much more likely than females (38%) to experience this.
• 42% have seen or heard a teacher or member of staff intervene when homophobic language is used.
• 9% have been called names that are transphobic in nature.
• 11% have seen or heard a teacher or member of staff intervene when transphobic language is used.
• 83% agree (55% ‘strongly agree’ and 28% ‘agree’) that insulting or bullying somebody for being Transgender is a serious issue that should be challenged in schools.