Bullying should be a crime, British Columbians say in poll

The vast majority of British Columbians say bullying should be a crime, an Angus Reid poll released on Pink Shirt Day reveals.

And 55 per cent of those polled in B.C. said bullying should be a crime even if no physical violence is involved.

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Across Canada in the online survey of a representative sample of 1,006 Canadian adults, two thirds of respondents (65 per cent) said they think bullying should be considered a crime even if no physical violence is involved.

Only six per cent of British Columbians polled said they thought bullying should not be considered a crime.

Nationally, high school was singled out as the worst environment for bullying, with elementary school coming a close second.

And women were more likely to think bullying, even in the absence of violence, should be a crime. Sixty-one per cent of men agreed, compared to 68 per cent of women.