Civil Rights Department Highlights Results of First State-Sponsored Survey on Hate Acts Across California

SACRAMENTO – The California Civil Rights Department (CRD) — in partnership with the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research’s California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) — today highlighted the results of a representative survey on the overall prevalence of hate acts across the state. Based on a series of questions sponsored by CRD, the new findings from CHIS show an estimated 2.6 million Californians directly experienced at least one act of hate over the course of a year between 2022 and 2023.

“California continues to lead when it comes to combatting hate,” said CRD Director Kevin Kish. “From direct investments to cutting edge programs, we’re using every tool available. Through our work with CHIS, we’re also helping show the impact of hate. These estimates make it clear that people across our state continue to experience hate and discrimination well beyond what is reported to law enforcement. It takes all of us working together to live up to our values of respect and compassion for every Californian.”

“Creating and sharing quantifiable data about our most pressing issues forms the bedrock of our work at the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research,” said Ninez A. Ponce, PhD, MPP, Director of the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research (CHPR). “What we’ve learned in this report about hate acts — in terms of who gets targeted, why, and how often — can be an invaluable resource that helps make sure policies and programs are most effective.”

State’s Premier Health Survey Adds Questions on the Impact of Hate

Every year, CHIS, the largest population-based state health survey in the nation, interviews more than 20,000 households on a wide range of topics related to health. The survey serves as a leading source of comprehensive data on the health of Californians. In 2023, CRD, in conjunction with the Commission on the State of Hate and the department’s work through the CA vs Hate program, added questions to the survey asking respondents about their experiences with hate during the past year. These questions included all acts of hate and were not limited to experiences that were potentially criminal in nature.

Over the course of 2023, CHIS asked Californians who were 12 and older whether they had experienced or witnessed an act of hate during the past year. The new data from the survey provides an in-depth look into hate in California and serves as a broader assessment of the potential prevalence of hate beyond hate crime data reported to law enforcement. These statistics represent a snapshot in time based on self-reported experiences of hate as understood by individual survey participants. Future data collection will help provide an even more robust picture of the impact of hate on people across California.

Key Takeaways on Statewide Impact of Hate

Key findings from the survey conducted throughout 2023 of Californians who were 12 and older include:

Overall Estimated Prevalence:

• An estimated 2.6 million Californians (8%) directly experienced at least one act of hate in the past year.
• An estimated 525,000 Californians (1.6%) experienced hate that was potentially criminal in nature, including either physical assault or property damage.
• An estimated 5 million Californians (15%) witnessed at least one act of hate within the past year.

Motivation and Location:

• Some of the top bias motivations identified by respondents were race (57%); ancestry, national origin, or language (19%); and gender identity (15%).
• Some of the most common locations reported among adults were the street or sidewalk (45%), at businesses (34%), and at home (23%).
• For youth between 12 and 17 years old, some of the most common locations were at school (80%) and online (24%).

Community-Specific Estimates:

• When broken down by race and ethnicity, some of the groups who most frequently experienced hate were Black (16%), Native American (13%), and Asian (9%).
• Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and pansexual (12%) and transgender (19%) adult respondents were also more likely to experience hate than Californians overall.
• Similarly, adults living with a disability (12%) and adolescents (15%) were more likely to experience hate than Californians overall.

California Leads the Nation in the Fight Against Hate

With reported hate crimes having risen sharply across the country in recent years, California has continued to lead by investing in cutting-edge programs to combat hate and discrimination. In 2023, Governor Newsom launched CA vs Hate, the state’s first-ever multilingual hotline to provide a safe reporting option and resources for victims and witnesses of hate. California has also taken direct action to bolster safety and security grantsfor faith communities and nonprofits. The state continues to provide crucial funding to support direct services at the local level through the Stop the Hate grant program. Governor Newsom also signed legislation establishing the California Commission on the State of Hate to monitor and track hate and recommend policy to the Governor and Legislature

To report an act of hate and get support, you can go to CAvsHate.org or call 833-8-NO-HATE, i.e., (833) 866-4283. CA vs Hate is a non-emergency, multilingual hate reporting hotline and online portal. For individuals who want to report a hate crime to law enforcement immediately or who are in imminent danger, please call 911.

The UCLA Center for Health Policy Research is one of the nation’s leading health policy research centers and the premier source of health policy information for California. The center improves the public’s health through high-quality, objective, and evidence-based research and data that informs effective policymaking.

An infographic summarizing the data highlights is available here. You can learn more about CHIS here.

The California Civil Rights Department (CRD) is the state agency charged with enforcing California’s civil rights laws. CRD’s mission is to protect the people of California from unlawful discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations, and state-funded programs and activities, and from hate violence and human trafficking. For more information, visit calcivilrights.ca.gov.

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