A Study on the Hateful Expressions Recognized by Adolescents

The purpose of this study is to explore the factors influencing hate speech during adolescence and to examine the impact of hate awareness formed during this period on various aspects of adolescent life. For this purpose, publicly available data from the “2020 Study on the Exposure to and Countermeasures for Hate Speech among Adolescents,” conducted by the National Youth Policy Institute of Korea, was used. The analysis included data from 3,938 middle and high school students, excluding missing values. The main research findings based on the analysis are as follows. First, it was found that as experiences of hate speech victimization, the perceived social influence of hate speech, and levels of hate towards minority groups increased, the awareness of hate speech during adolescence also heightened. Second, among the risk factors influencing the awareness of hate speech during adolescence, the social influence of hate speech emerged as the most significant factor. Through this, the aim is to raise awareness among adolescents about social minorities, such as women, individuals with disabilities, and the elderly, emphasizing that they are members of our societal community with whom we must coexist.