State Civil Rights Department partners with UCLA Center for Health Policy Research to study extent of hate acts

An estimated 2.6 million Californians directly experienced at least one act of hate over the course of a year between 2022 and 2023, according to new findings released by the California Civil Rights Department (CRD) in partnership with the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research’s California Health Interview Survey.

The CRD sponsored a series of questions that were added to the annual California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) to gain a clearer understanding of the overall prevalence of hate acts across California.

“California continues to lead when it comes to combatting hate,” said Kevin Kish, director of the CRD. “From direct investments to cutting edge programs, we’re using every tool available. Through our work with CHIS, we’re also helping show the impact of hate. These estimates make it clear that people across our state continue to experience hate and discrimination well beyond what is reported to law enforcement. It takes all of us working together to live up to our values of respect and compassion for every Californian.”

Every year, CHIS, the largest population-based state health survey in the nation, interviews more than 20,000 households on a wide range of topics related to health. The survey serves as a leading source of comprehensive data on the health of Californians.

“Creating and sharing quantifiable data about our most pressing issues forms the bedrock of our work at the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research,” said Ninez A. Ponce, PhD, MPP, director of the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research (CHPR). “What we’ve learned in this report about hate acts — in terms of who gets targeted, why, and how often — can be an invaluable resource that helps make sure policies and programs are most effective.”

Key findings from the survey conducted throughout 2023 of Californians who were 12 and older include:

Overall Estimated Prevalence:

• An estimated 2.6 million Californians (8%) directly experienced at least one act of hate in the past year.
• An estimated 525,000 Californians (1.6%) experienced hate that was potentially criminal in nature, including either physical assault or property damage.
• An estimated 5 million Californians (15%) witnessed at least one act of hate within the past year.

 Motivation and Location:

• Some of the top bias motivations identified by respondents were race (57%); ancestry, national origin, or language (19%); and gender identity (15%).
• Some of the most common locations reported among adults were the street or sidewalk (45%), at businesses (34%), and at home (23%).
• For youth between 12 and 17 years old, some of the most common locations were at school (80%) and online (24%).

 Community-Specific Estimates:

• When broken down by race and ethnicity, some of the groups who most frequently experienced hate were Black (16%), Native American (13%), and Asian (9%).
• Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and pansexual (12%) and transgender (19%) adult respondents were also more likely to experience hate than Californians overall.
• Similarly, adults living with a disability (12%) and adolescents (15%) were more likely to experience hate than Californians overall.