Teens and adults in the Asia-Pacific region reported an uptick in online civility and more respectful digital interactions during the COVID-19 global pandemic, results from a new Microsoft research study show. Meanwhile, respondents in Latin America said online civility worsened, punctuated by an increase in the spread of false or misleading information.

Nearly one-third (31%) of respondents in nine APAC geographies said online civility improved in the COVID-19 stay-at-home environment, a 5-percentage-points increase compared to the worldwide reading of 26%. A total of 32 geographies1 were included in this years study, which was conducted in April and May. Across other regions, participants in Latin America, Central and Eastern Europe, and the combined grouping of North American and Western European countries,2 said online civility improved by smaller percentages: 30%, 17% and 20%, respectively.

Meanwhile, in Latin America, 31% said online civility declined during the crisis, topping the worldwide reading of 22% by 9-percentage points. APAC, Central and Eastern Europe, and the combined North American and Western European block, posted worsening percentages of 22%, 28% and 17%. (Additional details shown in the chart below.)

Worldwide (52%) and regionally, a majority of respondents said online civility was unchanged by COVID-19. Regional unchanged percentages break down as follows: APAC: 47% Central and Eastern Europe: 55% Latin America: 39% North America and Western Europe: 63%

Overall, results underscore that despite anecdotal reports of declining online civility during COVID-19, the global picture is more nuanced.

The findings come from the latest study, Civility, Safety and Interaction Online 2020, which polled teens aged 13-17 and adults aged 18-74 about their exposure to 21 different online risks across four categories: behavioral; sexual; reputational; and personal/intrusive.3 This research builds on similar studies about digital civility that Microsoft has conducted in each of the last four years when fewer countries were included.

A total of 16,051 individuals participated in this years poll, and weve surveyed more than 58,000 people on these topics since the start of this work. Full results, including the release of the latest Microsoft Digital Civility Index (DCI), will be made available on international Safer Internet Day 2021 on February 9. The DCI is a measure of the tone and tenor of online interactions as reported by consumers in all surveyed locales. Last year, the index stood at its lowest level since the research began, indicating a high level of perceived online incivility.

Of the 26% of global respondents who thought online civility improved in April and May during COVID-19, people helping other people and a sense of were all in this together were the primary reasons behind their responses. More than two-thirds (67%) said they saw people helping others and 60% said they had a greater sense of were all in this together. Meanwhile, in APAC, nearly three-quarters of positive respondents (70%) saw people helping others, and the second most highly rated reply was people being more encouraging to one another (66%). Other positive responses in the APAC region included a greater sense of community, people coming together to deal with the crisis, and people reconnecting online with family and friends.

In Latin America (70%) and globally (67%), an increased spread of false or misleading information was the primary reason given by those who thought online civility had faltered during the pandemic. Other standout worsening responses in Latin America included people taking out their frustrations online and people being less tolerant. (Check out our factsheet on helping young people to identify misinformation and hate speech, and read about what Microsoft is doing to combat COVID-19 misinformation more broadly.)

Given the toll the global crisis was taking on people around the world both online and off, we added some special questions to this years study to explore the perceived impact of COVID-19 on online interactions in this fifth milestone installment of our research. Thats also why we added (or re-added) seven geographies to the 2020 study: Australia, Denmark, Philippines, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan and Thailand. (The first Microsoft Digital Civility Index reading for each of these geographies, bar Australia, will be made available on Safer Internet Day 2021. Australias 2020 index will be the first reading since Year Two of the study.)

And, while more of the world starts to re-open following what was truly an unprecedented event in most of our lifetimes, many of us are still working and learning from home, and practicing social distancing. These circumstances underscore the need for safer, healthier and more respectful interactions both online and off. We only need to look to last years research to recall what people hoped for in this new decade of the 2020s. Respondents in 25 countries said they wanted respect, safety, freedom, civility and kindness to define online interactions in the 2020s, and they added a few predictions for some more sensitive scenarios. A third of all respondents said they expect fewer women to be sexually harassed online, fewer teens to be bullied and online political discussions to become more constructive in the new decade.

To get back on track and help realize some of those uplifting 2020s predictions, we continue to point to our Digital Civility Challenge: four common-sense principles to help engender compassion, empathy and kindness. Everyone can commit to the challenge actions and pledge to adopt positive online habits and practices. Those actions are: Live the Golden Rule; respect differences; pause before replying; and stand up for yourself and others. Learn more about the challenge here, and visit our website and resources page for additional advice and guidance for tackling almost any online safety issue.

1 Countries polled in 2020 were: Argentina, Australia*, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Denmark*, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Indonesia*, Ireland, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, Peru, Philippines*, Poland, Russia, Sweden*, Singapore, Spain*, South Africa, Taiwan, Thailand*, Turkey, U.K., U.S., Vietnam*Indicates country was added (or re-added) to the study in 2020

2 Regional groupings are as follows: APAC (9) Australia, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam CEE (3) Hungary, Poland, Russia Latam (6) Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru NA + WE (12) Canada, U.S., Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, U.K.

3 The definiton of the four categories are as follows:Reputational Doxing and damage to personal or professional reputationsBehavioral Being treated meanly; experiencing trolling, online harassment or bullying; encountering hatespeech and microaggressionsSexual Sending or receiving unwanted sexting messages and making sexual solicitations; receiving unwantedsexual attention and being a victim of sextortion or non-consensual pornography (aka revenge porn)Personal/intrusive Being the target of unwanted contact, experiencing discrimination, swatting, misogyny, exposure toextremist content/recruiting, or falling victim to hoaxes, scams or fraud

Tags: digital civility, digital civility challenge, Digital Civility Index, Online Safety

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Online civility improved in APAC during COVID-19, declined in Latin America, Microsoft study - Microsoft on the Issues - Microsoft