This statistic presents the most common malicious or trolling online behavior among online adults in the United States as of August 2017. During the survey period, 25 percent of respondents admitted that they had argued with someone else about a fact online.
Which of the following have you ever done in an online comments section with malicious intent towards a stranger?
Characteristic
Share of respondents
Argued with someone else about a fact
25%
Argued with someone else about an opinion
25%
Deliberately made controversial statements
10%
Called someone else an offensive name
10%
Made a joke at the expense of someone else
10%
Attempted to veer a conversation off topic to discuss a topic of my choice
8%
Deliberately made inflammatory statements
6%
Prefer not to say
2%
None of these
56%
0%5%10%15%20%25%30%35%40%45%50%55%60%65%
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Original question: "Which of the following have you ever done in an online comments section with malicious intent towards a stranger?". Multiple answers possible.
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Statista Survey. (August 28, 2017). Which of the following have you ever done in an online comments section with malicious intent towards a stranger? [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved May 15, 2025, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/380000/internet-trolling-malicious-intent-towards-strangers/
Statista Survey. "Which of the following have you ever done in an online comments section with malicious intent towards a stranger?." Chart. August 28, 2017. Statista. Accessed May 15, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/380000/internet-trolling-malicious-intent-towards-strangers/
Statista Survey. (2017). Which of the following have you ever done in an online comments section with malicious intent towards a stranger?. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: May 15, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/380000/internet-trolling-malicious-intent-towards-strangers/
Statista Survey. "Which of The following Have You Ever Done in An Online Comments Section with Malicious Intent towards a Stranger?." Statista, Statista Inc., 28 Aug 2017, https://www.statista.com/statistics/380000/internet-trolling-malicious-intent-towards-strangers/
Statista Survey, Which of the following have you ever done in an online comments section with malicious intent towards a stranger? Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/380000/internet-trolling-malicious-intent-towards-strangers/ (last visited May 15, 2025)
Which of the following have you ever done in an online comments section with malicious intent towards a stranger? [Graph], Statista Survey, August 28, 2017. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/380000/internet-trolling-malicious-intent-towards-strangers/
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