Hate, belonging, and the social worlds of young people: The differential impacts of hate speech and hate violence

This study examines the social impacts of hate victimisation on young people in Australia, with a specific focus on their friendships, school attachment and achievement, and perceptions of their neighbourhood. Drawing on cross-sectional survey data from Wave 2 of the Australian Youth Safety Study, it analyses data from 669 high school students aged 14–20 years. The analyses distinguish between hate speech and hate violence, and between recent and lifetime experiences, to determine the impact of victimisation on young people’s social relationships, school engagement and neighbourhood perceptions. Contrary to prior research, the study finds that friendship networks remain largely intact following hate victimisation. However, experiences of hate speech and hate violence are associated with weaker emotional attachment to school but not with academic achievement. Victims also perceived less favourable attitudes to diversity in their neighbourhood, and hate violence victims reported lower perceptions of community cohesion and trust. Neighbourhood disorder was perceived to be lower by hate victims, suggesting shifts in how disorder is perceived post-victimisation.