Bullying increases as students climb social ladder, however top 2% "most popular" teens least likely to bully
It’s the popular kids, not the misfits, who bully most, study finds. Sociologists at the University of California, Davis, examined data from a longitudinal study of 19 elementary and high schools in North Carolina, focusing on students in Grades 8, 9 and 10. It’s common to cast the class bully as a marginalized, troubled kid acting out. But we should be taking a closer look at the behaviour of the popular kids, according to new research on aggression and social status. It’s actually the second-most popular kids who are particularly likely to torment their peers as a way to earn status and power.