Ethnic differences in experiences of school bullying in China

This paper investigates the ethnic differences of being traditionally bullied and cyberbullied in China. Two datasets are used. One is a national survey including 3675 participants from seven cities (Study-N) while the other covers 2155 students in one minority autonomous county in northwest China (Study-L). All types of pre-college schools are included in both surveys, but students from grade one to grade three in primary schools are excluded. Overall, being an ethnic minority is less likely to be traditionally bullied in the national survey, though this effect becomes insignificant when the control variables are included. In the ethnic diversity area (Study-L), the dominant majority in this county who are a national minority (Yugur) has a significantly lower probability of being traditional bullied than the national majority (Han), while the differences between Han and Tibetans and other minorities are insignificant. No significant differences regarding being cyberbullied are founded between the minorities and the majority in both studies. Besides, being a boy is a risk factor, while better academic performance and social relations are protective factors. Elementary schools have the highest prevalence of school bullying. This paper indicates that ethnicity plays little effect on school bullying involvement in China.