One in six women in Scotland have experienced online violence, according to a new study, with the figure rising amongst those aged between 16-24 (27%) and LGBTQ+ women (45%).

This is according to researchers from The Open University who carried out one of the largest ever UK studies into societal attitudes and experiences of online violence against women and girls across Scotland, England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

When comparing responses across the nations, the research showed that women and girls in Scotland were the most likely to have witnessed online violence (35%), in comparison to those in Wales (27%), Northern Ireland (27%) and England (30%).

Of even greater concern, one in nine Scots (11%) who have experienced online violence said it later progressed to offline violence.

“This new research represents the largest-ever study into societal attitudes and experiences of online violence against women and girls across the four nations. For Scotland, the results are extremely sobering and highlight how endemic online violence is in and what serious impacts it is having on girls’ and women’s lives and on our society as a whole,” Susan Stewart, director of The Open University in Scotland, said.

“In line with The Open University’s mission to empower communities, tackle inequalities and drive positive societal change, we hope that these findings will open the dialogue among policymakers and authorities to help better tackle online violence and improve outcomes for those affected.”

Online anonymity (54%), ease of getting away with it (47%) and misogyny (46%) top the most commonly perceived reasons for why people commit online violence against women and girls.

At the same time, a higher proportion of people in Scotland strongly support making online violence a criminal offence than England , with women across both nations more supportive than men (73% of women and 55% of men in Scotland versus 69% of women and 50% of men in England).

Interestingly, Scots overwhelmingly support new Scottish devolved laws designed to address online violence against women and girls (76% for men and 82% for women).

The findings illustrate some gender divides with men being more likely than women to believe that legally prohibiting online violence would limit their freedom of expression (17% of Scottish men and only 8% of women).

Men were also more confident than women that the Scottish Government is doing all they reasonably can to address online violence (19% of men vs 14% of women).

The data illustrated a lack of confidence on the part of women and girls, that the authorities would deal effectively with a report of online violence.

Almost one third of women in Scotland (32%) who experienced online violence were more likely to seek support from friends, with only 4% saying they were likely to go to the police.

Further, 64% of women stated that they thought the police lacked the resources needed to tackle online violence against women and girls effectively. Over three quarters (76%) of women who reported online violence were not satisfied with the outcome.

According to Professor Olga Jurasz, a senior lecturer in Law at The Open University who lead the project, online violence can come in a number of forms, including trolling, threats, abuse, non-consensual sharing of photos, and unwanted sexual remarks.

“This can have a serious impact on women’s wellbeing and their behaviour, including a negative impact on mental and physical health, having to implement measures to protect themselves from abuse, and a change in willingness or ability to express views online,” she said.

Indeed, of those who have experienced online violence in Scotland, 85% said it had impacted on them, with six in ten (61%) reporting it had a negative impact on their mental health and wellbeing.

“Violence against women and girls is endemic in Scotland and has devastating physical and psychological consequences, disproportionately impacting women of colour, LGBTQ+ people, and other marginalised groups. The new research from The Open University further confirms this fact,” Catherine Murphy, executive director at Engender, Scotland’s feminist policy and advocacy organisation, commented on the research findings

“Following six years of campaigning the UK Government’s Online Safety Bill will now include Women and Girls. The amendment will require Ofcom to publish guidance for tech companies on reducing the risk of harm to women and girls using their platforms.

“Engender is currently calling on the Scottish Government to also adopt a Digital Health and Safety at Work framework, supporting employers to ensure women’s right to workplace safety is upheld online.”

The report surveyed 7500 people over the age of 16 via YouGov, providing an insight into the thoughts and lived experiences of those living across the UK.

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The sobering statistics show that, not only do women and girls find online environments unsafe, but they have a lack of trust in law enforcement’s ability and care.

In response to the new research, Assistant chief constable Bex Smith, Police Scotland, said: “We are committed to creating a society where women and girls live free from violence, abuse, exploitation and harassment and therefore we welcome this research.

“We have made progress, but we want to do more to support the right of women and girls to feel safe. By continuing to listen to the experiences of everyone, we will have a more informed approach and our Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy outlines the actions we will take as a service, along with our partners.

“We are committed to continually improving the service we provide, to build confidence in reporting and in policing more widely. Our service must be trauma-informed, we will prioritise the needs of victims and survivors. Our role is crucial, but policing alone cannot stop this and we will continue to work with our partners to improve our response and drive the change needed to end violence against women and girls.”

However, the Police have had their own issues as far as violence against women and girls. Police Scotland had 410 internal complains of inappropriate sexual behaviour between 2017 and 2021, including sexual assault, inappropriate comments, and even inappropriate messaging.

According to a report from LBC in May, Police Scotland also have nearly 180 sexual assault allegations against serving officers that have yet to be dealt with.