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| 2020 Tables and Figures | All Years of Tables and Figures | Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest |
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| Table 231.10. | Percentage of students in grades 9-12 who reported having been in a physical fight at least one time during the previous 12 months, by location and selected student characteristics: Selected years, 1993 through 2019 |
| [Standard errors appear in parentheses] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Location and student characteristic | 1993 | 1999 | 2001 | 2003 | 2005 | 2007 | 2009 | 2011 | 2013 | 2015 | 2017 | 2019 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Anywhere (including on school property)1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 41.8 | (0.99) | 35.7 | (1.17) | 33.2 | (0.71) | 33.0 | (0.99) | 35.9 | (0.77) | 35.5 | (0.77) | 31.5 | (0.70) | 32.8 | (0.65) | 24.7 | (0.74) | 22.6 | (0.87) | 23.6 | (0.97) | 21.9 | (0.81) | ||||||
| Sex | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Male | 51.2 | (1.05) | 44.0 | (1.27) | 43.1 | (0.84) | 40.5 | (1.32) | 43.4 | (1.01) | 44.4 | (0.89) | 39.3 | (1.20) | 40.7 | (0.74) | 30.2 | (1.10) | 28.4 | (1.04) | 30.0 | (1.14) | 28.3 | (1.23) | ||||||
| Female | 31.7 | (1.19) | 27.3 | (1.70) | 23.9 | (0.95) | 25.1 | (0.85) | 28.1 | (0.94) | 26.5 | (0.99) | 22.9 | (0.74) | 24.4 | (0.92) | 19.2 | (0.72) | 16.5 | (1.04) | 17.2 | (1.01) | 15.3 | (1.01) | ||||||
Race/ethnicity |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| White | 40.3 | (1.13) | 33.1 | (1.45) | 32.2 | (0.95) | 30.5 | (1.11) | 33.1 | (0.88) | 31.7 | (0.96) | 27.8 | (0.88) | 29.4 | (0.74) | 20.9 | (0.70) | 20.1 | (1.13) | 20.8 | (0.82) | 19.8 | (0.97) | ||||||
| Black | 49.5 | (1.82) | 41.4 | (3.12) | 36.5 | (1.60) | 39.7 | (1.23) | 43.1 | (1.74) | 44.7 | (1.33) | 41.1 | (1.71) | 39.1 | (1.52) | 34.7 | (1.67) | 32.4 | (2.11) | 33.2 | (2.49) | 30.2 | (1.77) | ||||||
| Hispanic | 43.2 | (1.58) | 39.9 | (1.65) | 35.8 | (0.91) | 36.1 | (0.98) | 41.0 | (1.64) | 40.4 | (1.25) | 36.2 | (0.95) | 36.8 | (1.44) | 28.4 | (1.15) | 23.0 | (1.10) | 25.7 | (1.85) | 22.6 | (1.12) | ||||||
| Asian2 | --- | (†) | 22.7 | (2.71) | 22.3 | (2.73) | 25.9 | (2.99) | 21.6 | (2.43) | 24.3 | (3.50) | 18.9 | (1.72) | 18.4 | (1.87) | 16.1 | (1.87) | 14.7 | (1.12) | 11.0 | (1.61) | 12.0 | (1.87) | ||||||
| Pacific Islander2 | --- | (†) | 50.7 | (3.42) | 51.7 | (6.25) | 30.0 | (5.21) | 34.4 | (5.58) | 42.6 | (7.74) | 32.6 | (3.50) | 43.0 | (5.14) | 22.0 | (4.95) | 29.2 | (7.98) | 22.6 | (2.47) | 18.2 | (4.85) | ||||||
| American Indian/Alaska Native | 49.8 | (4.79) | 48.7 | (6.78) | 49.2 | (6.58) | 46.6 | (6.53) | 44.2 | (3.40) | 36.0 | (1.49) | 42.4 | (5.23) | 42.4 | (2.12) | 32.1 | (7.39) | 29.9 | (5.07) | 34.7 | (6.36) | 40.2 | (6.85) | ||||||
| Two or more races2 | --- | (†) | 40.2 | (2.76) | 39.6 | (2.85) | 38.2 | (3.64) | 46.9 | (4.16) | 47.8 | (3.30) | 34.2 | (3.51) | 45.0 | (2.60) | 28.5 | (2.31) | 27.6 | (2.58) | 25.5 | (2.30) | 28.7 | (2.43) | ||||||
Sexual identity3 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Heterosexual | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | 21.7 | (0.78) | 23.2 | (0.95) | 21.4 | (0.87) | ||||||
| Gay, lesbian, or bisexual | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | 28.4 | (2.34) | 27.9 | (1.66) | 23.9 | (1.68) | ||||||
| Not sure | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | 34.5 | (4.44) | 19.8 | (2.83) | 21.1 | (2.59) | ||||||
Grade |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 9th | 50.4 | (1.54) | 41.1 | (1.96) | 39.5 | (1.27) | 38.6 | (1.38) | 43.5 | (1.15) | 40.9 | (1.16) | 37.0 | (1.21) | 37.7 | (1.11) | 28.3 | (1.17) | 27.9 | (1.51) | 28.3 | (1.53) | 25.8 | (1.51) | ||||||
| 10th | 42.2 | (1.45) | 37.7 | (2.11) | 34.7 | (1.37) | 33.5 | (1.20) | 36.6 | (1.09) | 36.2 | (1.34) | 33.5 | (1.19) | 35.3 | (1.35) | 26.4 | (1.42) | 23.4 | (1.46) | 26.2 | (1.14) | 23.3 | (1.07) | ||||||
| 11th | 40.5 | (1.52) | 31.3 | (1.55) | 29.1 | (1.10) | 30.9 | (1.38) | 31.6 | (1.44) | 34.8 | (1.36) | 28.6 | (0.93) | 29.7 | (1.14) | 24.0 | (1.04) | 20.5 | (1.23) | 20.4 | (0.91) | 20.0 | (1.01) | ||||||
| 12th | 34.8 | (1.56) | 30.4 | (1.91) | 26.5 | (1.01) | 26.5 | (1.08) | 29.1 | (1.26) | 28.0 | (1.42) | 24.9 | (0.99) | 26.9 | (0.95) | 18.8 | (1.19) | 17.4 | (1.23) | 17.8 | (1.52) | 17.6 | (1.08) | ||||||
On school property4 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 16.2 | (0.59) | 14.2 | (0.62) | 12.5 | (0.49) | 12.8 | (0.76) | 13.6 | (0.56) | 12.4 | (0.48) | 11.1 | (0.54) | 12.0 | (0.39) | 8.1 | (0.35) | 7.8 | (0.54) | 8.5 | (0.53) | 8.0 | (0.50) | ||||||
| Sex | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Male | 23.5 | (0.71) | 18.5 | (0.66) | 18.0 | (0.74) | 17.1 | (0.92) | 18.2 | (0.93) | 16.3 | (0.60) | 15.1 | (1.05) | 16.0 | (0.58) | 10.7 | (0.55) | 10.3 | (0.79) | 11.6 | (0.62) | 11.4 | (0.72) | ||||||
| Female | 8.6 | (0.73) | 9.8 | (0.95) | 7.2 | (0.47) | 8.0 | (0.70) | 8.8 | (0.52) | 8.5 | (0.62) | 6.7 | (0.42) | 7.8 | (0.43) | 5.6 | (0.38) | 5.0 | (0.45) | 5.6 | (0.54) | 4.4 | (0.45) | ||||||
Race/ethnicity |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| White | 15.0 | (0.68) | 12.3 | (0.86) | 11.2 | (0.60) | 10.0 | (0.73) | 11.6 | (0.66) | 10.2 | (0.56) | 8.6 | (0.58) | 9.9 | (0.51) | 6.4 | (0.45) | 5.6 | (0.35) | 6.5 | (0.64) | 6.4 | (0.51) | ||||||
| Black | 22.0 | (1.39) | 18.7 | (1.51) | 16.8 | (1.26) | 17.1 | (1.30) | 16.9 | (1.39) | 17.6 | (1.10) | 17.4 | (0.99) | 16.4 | (0.89) | 12.8 | (0.84) | 12.6 | (1.96) | 15.3 | (1.45) | 15.5 | (1.06) | ||||||
| Hispanic | 17.9 | (1.75) | 15.7 | (0.91) | 14.1 | (0.89) | 16.7 | (1.14) | 18.3 | (1.62) | 15.5 | (0.81) | 13.5 | (0.82) | 14.4 | (0.79) | 9.4 | (0.44) | 8.9 | (0.87) | 9.4 | (0.90) | 7.8 | (0.68) | ||||||
| Asian2 | --- | (†) | 10.4 | (0.95) | 10.8 | (1.92) | 13.1 | (2.26) | 5.9 | (1.53) | 8.5 | (1.99) | 7.7 | (1.09) | 6.2 | (1.06) | 5.5 | (1.39) | 6.3 | (1.63) | 3.7 | (1.00) | 4.9 | (1.47) | ||||||
| Pacific Islander2 | --- | (†) | 25.3 | (4.60) | 29.1 | (7.63) | 22.2 | (4.82) | 24.5 | (5.60) | 9.6 | ! | (3.47) | 14.8 | (2.37) | 20.9 | (4.41) | 7.1 | ! | (2.58) | 20.9 | ! | (7.11) | 14.2 | (3.58) | 9.1 | ! | (3.38) | ||
| American Indian/Alaska Native | 18.6 | (2.74) | 16.2 | ! | (5.23) | 18.2 | (4.41) | 24.2 | (5.03) | 22.0 | (3.16) | 15.0 | (1.12) | 20.7 | (3.73) | 12.0 | (1.77) | 10.7 | (3.13) | 13.2 | (3.54) | 8.6 | ! | (3.74) | 18.9 | ! | (5.70) | |||
| Two or more races2 | --- | (†) | 16.9 | (2.40) | 14.7 | (1.97) | 20.2 | (3.83) | 15.8 | (2.61) | 19.6 | (2.39) | 12.4 | (2.19) | 16.6 | (1.41) | 10.0 | (1.04) | 9.3 | (1.49) | 9.2 | (1.36) | 11.0 | (1.76) | ||||||
Sexual identity3 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Heterosexual | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | 7.1 | (0.51) | 8.3 | (0.56) | 7.8 | (0.51) | ||||||
| Gay, lesbian, or bisexual | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | 11.2 | (1.22) | 9.6 | (1.16) | 8.2 | (1.00) | ||||||
| Not sure | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | 14.6 | (2.38) | 11.8 | (2.25) | 9.6 | (1.99) | ||||||
Grade |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 9th | 23.1 | (1.55) | 18.6 | (1.02) | 17.3 | (0.77) | 18.0 | (1.24) | 18.9 | (0.93) | 17.0 | (0.67) | 14.9 | (0.98) | 16.2 | (0.77) | 10.9 | (0.78) | 11.6 | (0.82) | 12.3 | (1.05) | 11.0 | (0.87) | ||||||
| 10th | 17.2 | (1.07) | 17.2 | (1.23) | 13.5 | (0.88) | 12.8 | (0.89) | 14.4 | (1.08) | 11.7 | (0.86) | 12.1 | (0.83) | 12.8 | (0.86) | 8.3 | (0.61) | 7.3 | (0.76) | 9.6 | (0.74) | 8.3 | (0.60) | ||||||
| 11th | 13.8 | (1.27) | 10.8 | (1.01) | 9.4 | (0.71) | 10.4 | (0.89) | 10.4 | (0.75) | 11.0 | (0.73) | 9.5 | (0.63) | 9.2 | (0.55) | 7.5 | (0.53) | 6.5 | (0.83) | 6.0 | (0.66) | 6.4 | (0.73) | ||||||
| 12th | 11.4 | (0.66) | 8.1 | (1.00) | 7.5 | (0.56) | 7.3 | (0.70) | 8.5 | (0.70) | 8.6 | (0.62) | 6.6 | (0.59) | 8.8 | (0.69) | 4.9 | (0.63) | 4.5 | (0.51) | 5.0 | (0.61) | 5.8 | (0.70) | ||||||
| ---Not available. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| †Not applicable. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| !Interpret data with caution. The coefficient of variation (CV) for this estimate is between 30 and 50 percent. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 The term "anywhere" is not used in the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) questionnaire; students were simply asked how many times in the past 12 months they had been in a physical fight. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2 Before 1999, Asian students and Pacific Islander students were not categorized separately, and students could not be classified as Two or more races. Because the response categories changed in 1999, caution should be used in comparing data on race from 1993 with data from later years. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3 Students were asked which of the following--"heterosexual (straight)," "gay or lesbian," "bisexual," or “not sure"--best described them. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 4 In the question asking students about physical fights at school, "on school property" was not defined for respondents. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NOTE: Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SOURCE: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Adolescent and School Health, Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS), 1993 through 2019. (This table was prepared September 2020.) |
