Key Facts About Bullying
and Youth Violence
Local Information:
2001 Herkimer County TAP Survey*
The Herkimer County Teen Assessment Project (TAP) Survey inventories
the concerns, perceptions, and behaviors of 7 th, 9 th, and 11 th grade
students across Herkimer County. Over 2,100 students participated in
this survey in 2001.
Survey responses related to bullying and youth violence include the following:
- 18% of students reported that they feel constantly teased, threatened or harassed by other youth.
- 45% of students reported they had used physical force or
threatened others in the past six months in order to get their way; 8 %
reported that they used force often as a means of getting their own way.
15% of students reported they have carried a weapon,
such as a gun or knife, within their community with the intent to harm
someone or to protect them or someone else. 12% of students indicated
that they had done the same thing while attending school.
- 25% of students reported that it would be easy for them to get a gun if they wanted to.
- Fear for personal safety in the school setting has changed
between 1997 and 2001. In 1997, 80% of survey respondents reported that
they felt safe in school. In 2001, the percentage of youth that felt
safe dropped to 70%.
- Of the students that had been bullied, statistics showed that
- They
were 30% more likely to carry a gun or knife in the community with the
intent of protecting themselves or harming someone else.
- They were 55% more likely to carry a weapon to school for the same reasons.
- They are 4 times more likely to bully others.
- They were 2 times as likely to consider suicide.
- 16%
of them had stayed home from school because they feared for their
safety in the school setting; As many as one out of every 20 had done
so multiple times in the past year.
*The TAP Survey is sponsored by the DSS/Education Liaison Committee and
is administered by the Herkimer-Oneida Counties Comprehensive Planning
Program and Cornell Cooperative Extension of Herkimer County. Surveys
have been administered in 1997 and 2001. The next TAP Survey is being
administered in April 2005.
2003 Herkimer County Risk Assessment Profile**
YOUTH FOCUS GROUPS
The Herkimer County Risk Assessment Profile is a collection of local
data and information that is used to help predict youth problem
behaviors. The data collected is organized into four areas: Community,
Family, School and Individual/Peer. The information collected for the
Profile is shared with Herkimer County youth, key stakeholders, and
community members for their feedback.
The 2001 TAP Survey information listed above was shared with two youth
focus groups for their feedback. The focus groups believed that the
statistic “12% of students reported they have carried a weapon, such as
a gun or knife, to school with the intent to harm someone or to protect
them or someone else” was very accurate. Youth reported that “kids are
angry and on the edge”, and that one wrong look or disrespectful
comment is grounds for retaliation. Youth reported that young people
feel more isolated with no one to talk to, and that male/female
relationships are a major cause of violence among youth. When the focus
group facilitator asked the youth in attendance to describe their
generation, youth responded “fearful, but courageous”.
** The Herkimer County Risk Assessment Profile is a collaborative
effort of the Herkimer County Integrated County Planning Project and
Herkimer Healthnet (Herkimer County Rural Health Network). The Profile
has been published in 2000 and 2003. The next Risk Profile Update will
be published in 2006. To view a copy online, go to www.herkimerhealthnet.com.
