Strangers to blame for half of online hate cases, study finds

Women were twice as likely to receive online hate targeting their gender.

A total of 45% of adults have experienced online hate at least once in their lives, and in half of those cases the abuse came from a stranger, research has found.

Women were twice as likely to receive online hate targeting their gender, and sexual minorities, Muslims, and people with a disability experienced significantly more online hate, according to the research. Younger people also experienced higher levels of online abuse