Online Hate Crime Report 2020

This report focuses on the scale and nature of online hate crime and hate speech against LGBT+ people in the UK.  LGBT+ people face high levels of online abuse, and online platforms remain hostile environments for many LGBT+ people. 

The findings of this report, drawn from a survey of 700 LGBT+ people in the UK, show that: 

• 8 in 10 LGBT+ people had experienced online abuse. 
• Among those targeted, 5 in 10 had experienced online hate more than 20 times. 1 in 5 had experienced more than 100 incidents. 

• 6 in 10 were threatened with physical violence, and 4 in 10 received death threats or threats of sexual violence.  
• As a result, 4 in 10 people used their online accounts less, while 2 in 10 removed LGBT+ information from their profiles or left social media sites altogether.  
• Less than half reported their experiences to social media platforms, and less than 1 in 10 reported to the police.