It happens more than once: Understanding Canadian university students’ experiences of hate, online and offline

Since 2020, and heightened during the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a spike in reports of hate-motivated activity within universities across Canada. However, the experiences of hate by university students continue to remain under-researched and underdeveloped in Canada. This article presents findings from a Canada-wide survey conducted on the experiences Canadian university students have with hate-motivated activity within in-person and online campus spaces. The focus of this study was to provide an understanding of Canadian university students' experiences with hate, both online and offline, its consequences and possible solutions. By learning about student experiences, we document the varying types of hate students experience on campus, its physical, emotional, and mental impacts, the services and support that exist, and how universities understand and respond to hate. The main conclusions of our study are 1. Most of the students experience hate more than once, more repeatedly online and in multiple university spaces, than they do in-person 2. There are higher instances of students who report experiencing hate based on their ethnicity and attributed race/skin colour, physical appearance, and religion. 3. Hate incidents affect students’ mental health, academic growth, and sense of safety. 4. Students agree that their university can do more to prevent hate, both online and offline. With this data, we aim to increase awareness of the different degrees of hate on university campuses and help improve universities' anti-hate and anti-racism frameworks. • Students experience hate both online and offline in Canadian universities. • Hate is experienced most often based on ethnicity, race, skin colour, and religion. • Experiencing hate impacts students’ mental health, academic growth, and safety. • Students call for stronger prevention and support systems to address gaps. • Article offers policy recommendations to improve anti-hate frameworks.