About the Indicator:
This indicator includes students responding "about once a week," "several times a week," or "every day" to any or all of the following Minnesota Student Survey questions:
During the last 30 days, how often have other students at school...?
- Pushed, shoved, slapped, hit or kicked you when they weren't kidding around
- Threatened to beat you up
- Spread mean rumors or lies about you
- Made sexual jokes, comments, or gestures toward you
- Excluded you from friends, other students, or activities
In 2016, past 30-day alcohol use was reported by 9.1% of students who said they were not bullied or harassed in the past month, 18.4% of students who were bullied or harassed at least once in the past month, 24.3% of students who were bullied or harassed weekly or more often, and 28.1% of students who reported being bullied or harassed every day.
Further, compared to 8th, 9th, and 11th graders who reported NO past-month bullying victimization, bullied students were 1.8 times more likely to report alcohol use; 1.9 times more likely to report tobacco use; 1.7 times more likely to report marijuana use; and 2.5 times more likely to report prescription drug misuse.
See the 2017 Bullying and Substance Use SUMN Fact Sheet.
Data Source:
Minnesota Student Survey (MSS)
Description: The MSS is a confidential and anonymous self-administered survey given to students attending Minnesota public, charter and tribal schools. From 1995 to 2010, the survey was administered to students in 6th, 9th, and 12th grades. New in 2013, the survey was administered to students in 5th, 8th, 9th, and 11th grades. Trend data are now only available for 9th graders, and only for survey questions that did not change. Most schools elect to participate in the survey; in 2013, this included 84% of public schools in Minnesota.
Although the data are not presented here, the survey is also administered to area learning centers, juvenile correction facilities and private schools electing to participate.
Sponsored by: Minnesota Department of Education
Geographic Level: State, Region, and County
Aggregated data at the state and county level do not reveal disparities that may exist within a given geographic area.
Frequency: Data collected and reported every three years
Characteristics: The results of the MSS are also available at a county level. Data Privacy requirements mandate that data is presented in a manner such that no individual student can be identified through the presentation of the results. As part of the Data Privacy practices, the results are also presented in a manner that no individual school district could be identified through the results. Therefore, for counties that have only one school district, the results are not presented. Results are also withheld for counties in which the minimum number for student participation was not met.
The MSS is a “census” of schools, not a sample. The school districts get their own data. Fifth-graders were not asked all substance use questions. Some school districts do not participate, and student participation within the school district can vary widely. These data are self-reported.
