As greater numbers of Americans use social and other networked technologies, they increasingly use these tools to create and maintain their personal and intimate relationships. These technologies can play both positive and negative roles in personal relationships. Stalking and digital domestic abuse are two aspects of negative experiences online. For example, stalking is a disturbingly common experience. A recent national study of 16,500 adults in the United States found that one in six women and one in 19 men have been stalked to the point of creating fear. A better understanding of how dating abuse is perpetrated and experienced through technology, particularly across age groups, is critical to future prevention efforts.

In collaboration with Amanda Lenhart and the Data & Society Research Institute, we will conduct a nationally representative landline and mobile phone survey of 3,000 Americans ages 15 years and older to quantify the prevalence of cyberstalking and digital domestic violence, including cyber-exploitation. Recognizing that witnessing abuse can also have a negative impact, we will further investigate the extent to which people witness others’ abusive behavior online. The survey will also examine how online privacy behavior may relate to and even protect against online abuse. The study aims to provide a better understanding of how abuse is perpetrated and experienced through technology, particularly across age groups, and will release a publicly available, publicly accessible report detailing its findings.

• Digital Trust Foundation