There is growing awareness in the U.S. of the problem of bullying in middle and high school. Between a third and a fourth of all students say they have been bullied by other students, whether verbal, physical, and emotional. The potential consequences of bullying and harassment, including violence in schools, has highlighted the need for effective strategies to reduce bullying.
To highlight one evidence-based strategy, we’re joined by Betsy Levy Paluck (@betsylevyp). She is a professor of psychology and public affairs at Princeton University and an expert in the psychology of social norms, social influence, and behavior change. Along with her co-author Hana Shepherd, she ran a unique field experiment that shows that targeting the most influential students in a school can be a key factor in reducing bullying.