According to the 2024 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS), 1 in every 11 Californians ages 12 and older — approximately 3.1 million people — said they experienced an act of hate in the past year. 

We all know these numbers are alarming. Experiencing and witnessing hate is associated with several serious mental and physical consequences, including PTSD and depression, and make communities feel unwelcome. 

On Tuesday, December 9, researchers from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research and the Public Health Institute (PHI) will present findings from two new studies that take a deeper look at experiences with hate and use of and access to support.

CHIS Senior Data Analyst Alex J. Bates, PhD, MD, MPH, will share a new policy brief that looks at the quantity of hate acts in California, mental health care and other types of support victims received and had access to, and unmet needs across several sociodemographic characteristics and geographic regions.

In addition, PHI Program Director Valerie Steinmetz, PhD, will present findings from a qualitative study based on interviews with CHIS respondents who shared their personal experiences with hate acts, including the ongoing physical and mental health impacts and how their finances and personal lives were affected.