85% of women have witnessed harassment and online violence, finds new research from The Economist Intelligence Unit

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM — March 10th 2021 — The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) has released a new study supported by Jigsaw, a unit within Google that forecasts and confronts emerging digital threats, delving into the prevalence and impact of online violence against women on a global scale. “Measuring the prevalence of online violence against women” reveals that nearly 40% of women surveyed have been harassed online whilst the vast majority (85%) have witnessed harassment or other forms of online violence.

Undertaken to enable informed decision-making on the issue of online violence, to better understand women’s experiences online, and to measure the tactics and trends of online violence, the research also demonstrates the impact of online violence in silencing female voices. Half of women surveyed said that the internet is not a safe place for them to express their thoughts and opinions. 32% of women reconsidered posting a comment online, 30% reduced their online presence, and 20% stopped using that online platform entirely.

“Measuring the prevalence of online violence against women” further found that online violence against women should be seen on the same continuum as offline violence, with more than half of women (54%) knowing their online attackers, and nearly three-quarters (74%) expressing particular concern about online abuse escalating to offline threats.

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Image 85% of women have witnessed harassment and online violence, finds new research from The Economist Intelligence Unit