Schools should be welcoming places where students can learn and feel safe. Children and youth spend a large part of their day in school, and their feelings about their school environment can affect how they do in school.[1] Research shows that youth who perceive their school to be unsafe are more likely to have poorer mental health and lower academic performance.[1],[2]
Youth who feel safe at school |
About the MeasureThis measure is collected from the Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (WDG) Youth Survey that gathers self-reported well-being data from grade 7 and 10 students. The survey asks students how much they agree or disagree with the statement, “I feel safe at school”. Students who respond “strongly agree” or “somewhat agree” are categorized as feeling safe at school. Students who respond “strongly disagree” or “somewhat disagree” are categorized as feeling unsafe at school. Key FindingsAcross the three Youth Survey cycles, increasingly more grade 7 than grade 10 students reported feeling safe at school. In 2017-18, fewer non-binary students (59.5%) reported feeling safe at school than male (83.7%) or female (82.6%) students, not shown in graph. Data by gender, as well as data at the municipal level, can be found in the downloadable Excel file at the bottom of this page.
Loading Chart...
Source: WDG Youth Survey, 2011-12, 2014-15 and 2017-18. WDG Report Card Coalition. Last updated September 5, 2018. LimitationsThe WDG Youth Survey collects self-reported data and is subject to response bias and recall bias. This measure does not demonstrate how safe a school is, but rather how safe youth feel in their school.
|
Youth who report being bullied at school |
About the MeasureThis measure is collected from the Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (WDG) Youth Survey that gathers self-reported well-being data from grade 7 and 10 students. The survey asks students if they have been bullied at school in the last 12 months and can respond with “Yes” or “No”. Since youth spend most of their day in school, bullying at school is an important indicator of school safety. Youth who are bullied are less likely to participate in school, and are more likely to have poorer physical and mental health. [3] Key FindingsBetween 2014-15 and 2017-18, the percentage of students who reported being bullied in the past year declined. In 2017-18, grade 7 students were more likely to report being bullied than grade 10 students. In both grades, more non-binary than male and female students reported being bullied. Data over time, as well as data at the municipal level, can be found in the downloadable Excel file at the bottom of this page.
Loading Chart...
Source: WDG Youth Survey, 2017-18. WDG Report Card Coalition. Last updated September 5, 2018. LimitationsThe WDG Youth Survey collects self-reported data and is subject to response bias and recall bias. While youth were provided with a definition of bullying in this survey, they may perceive particular incidents with peers differently – one youth may define an interaction as bullying, while another may not. As a result, this measure relates to perceived bullying. Bullying can happen at any time. It can occur online and outside of school hours. This measure does not capture all forms of bullying experienced by students.
|
[1] Milam, A. J., Furr-Holden, C. D. M., & Leaf, P. J. (2010). Perceived school and neighborhood safety, neighborhood violence and academic achievement in urban school children. The Urban Review, 42(5), 458-467.
[2] Nijs, M. M., Bun, C. J., Tempelaar, W. M., de Wit, N. J., Burger, H., Plevier, C. M., & Boks, M. P. (2014). Perceived school safety is strongly associated with adolescent mental health problems. Community mental health journal, 50(2), 127-134.
[3] Stopbullying.go. (n.d.). Effects of bullying. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Human & Health Services. Available at: https://www.stopbullying.gov/at-risk/effects/