Bullying affects a quarter of students at university, and the rapid growth of social networking has made it easier for bullies to strike – with 38 percent worried about bullying in the workplace.
Graduate recruitment specialist Milkround Online surveyed visitors to Milkround.com about their experiences of bullying at university.
Nearly a quarter - 24 percent – said they were bullied at university. Of them, nearly half told a friend and 22 percent told their family. Worryingly more than a quarter (28 percent) stayed quiet - a tactic than can often perpetuate the bullying.
But students don't take their own advice - just five said they informed a member of staff when they were bullied, but 54 percent said they'd advise a friend to do the same. Three on 10 students would tell their friends to confront the bullies themselves while 18 percent said they'd suggest telling their family.
The vast majority of students who answered the survey - 86 percent - had never participated in any form of bullying, but six percent admitted to bullying someone and eight percent said they had watching bullying happen in front of them. Almost a quarter (24 percent) believed bullying happens everyday at university and 80 percent agreed that social networking made it easier to bully others.
Respondents to the survey were 50/50 on whether bullying was a bigger problem than people realise but a majority – 38 percent – said they were worried about being bullied when they start work.
Milkround Online spokesperson Mike Barnard said: “Dealing with the issue of bullying and bullies is often forgotten at university where the perception of students of living a life of freedom is too often viewed as an easy ride, where they are surrounded by friends to help them with more mundane problems such as worrying about where to live and their finances. Bullying takes many forms and is just as prevalent at university as it is at school and can be in the workplace.
“If you are the victim of bullying, always tell someone. Standing up to the bullies is done far better with the support of others and is the most effective way to bring the bullying to an end. Suffering in silence hoping the bully will stop can lead to unnecessary suffering and result in a loss in confidence. Where social networking is at the heart of the bullying, the same tactics apply: tell someone and be sure to check whether any privacy settings enable you to prevent any further instances of the bullying.”
