Norm Misperception and Witnessing Bullying: The Role of Individual and Contextual Characteristics

The results show that young people who overestimate classmates' pro-bullying behaviors are more likely to nominate pro-bullying responses themselves, with higher effects in boys, and those adolescents with higher deviant peer pressure and in classrooms with higher pro-bullying. Overestimations of classmates' passive bystander behaviors was associated with more individual bystanding, with higher effects in boys. Underestimations of classmates' defending was associated with lower individual defending, with higher effects in those adolescents in classrooms with lower defending. This knowledge provides valuable empirical insights for developing bullying interventions to work adolescents' misperceptions.