Question reference: S4W-06348
- Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
- Date lodged: 21 March 2012
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Current status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 16 April 2012
Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many reported incidents of racism in the last year for which figures are available involved an online element.
Answer
Information held centrally on the number of racist incidents recorded by the police cannot identify whether the incident involved an online element.
The 2012-13 Scottish Crime and Justice Survey, however, includes a new section on harassment. This will provide an estimate of how many people have been insulted, pestered or intimidated in the last 12 months by anybody who is not a member of their household. The survey will also establish whether there was any racial motive for the harassment and the means by which individuals were harassed, including (as separate categories) via texts or e-mail, or in writing via the internet, such as a social networking site. Subject to sample sizes, results will be available from November 2013 and will cover the adult (16 and over) population only.