What is the role of peers in bullying?

In 1997, over 2,000 children in England were asked about bullying. When asked about their reaction when they witnessed a bullying incident almost half said they tried not to get involved. Fewer (34%) said that they told the bullies to stop it. It was less common to ask an adult to stop it. Some children (11%) admitted that they had not joined in but they had enjoyed watching it, while a fewer number admitted to actually joining in. A small number said that they had been forced to join in.
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Article details

P K Smith and Shu Shu (2000) 'What Good Schools Can Do About Bullying: findings from a survey in English schools after a decade of research and action' in 'Childhood', Volume 7, (2).
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Author details

Professor Peter K Smith is Head of the Unit for School and Family Studies, Department of Psychology, Goldsmiths College, London. He has been involved in bullying research for a number of years and has published widely on this topic.

Peter Smith may be contacted by email, and the website of the Unit for School and Family Studies at Goldsmiths College may be found here.
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