WILLEMSTAD – Cyberbullying appears to be relatively uncommon among respondents to Curaçao's 2025 Social Survey, with fewer than 0.3 percent reporting that they experienced online harassment during the 12 months preceding the research.
The findings were published by the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) in its report "Victimization and Cyberbullying in Curaçao: Results of Enkuesta Sosial 2025."
The survey examined different forms of bullying, including verbal, physical and online harassment, as part of a broader investigation into social and economic conditions among households in Curaçao.
According to CBS, 97.1 percent of respondents indicated that they had not experienced bullying during the 12 months before the survey.
Among those who did report bullying, verbal harassment was the most common form.
Verbal Bullying More Common Than Online Harassment
The survey found that 2.2 percent of respondents experienced verbal bullying.
Cyberbullying and physical bullying were considerably less frequently reported, each affecting fewer than 0.3 percent of respondents.
The figures indicate that verbal harassment was the dominant form of bullying identified in the research.
CBS also examined the digital platforms through which cyberbullying occurred.
According to the findings, WhatsApp was the main platform mentioned in reported cases of online harassment.
The report summary does not specify the number of cyberbullying incidents associated with WhatsApp or provide a detailed comparison with other social media platforms.
Nevertheless, the findings identify the messaging application as an important communication channel in the relatively small number of cyberbullying experiences reported.
Most Respondents Report No Bullying
The finding that 97.1 percent of respondents had not experienced bullying during the preceding year suggests that the overwhelming majority of survey participants did not identify themselves as victims of the forms of harassment examined.
However, the figures should be interpreted within the scope of the survey.
Enkuesta Sosial 2025 was conducted as a household sample survey covering a range of social and economic subjects.
The published summary does not provide a separate breakdown of bullying experiences among schoolchildren, adolescents or specific age groups.
Consequently, the overall findings should not automatically be interpreted as representing the prevalence of cyberbullying among young people or students.
The survey also relies on respondents reporting their own experiences.
As with other research involving sensitive personal experiences, the results reflect the incidents disclosed by participants during the investigation.
WhatsApp Identified in Reported Cases
WhatsApp's appearance in the findings is relevant because the messaging service is widely used for personal communication, group conversations and information sharing.
Cyberbullying can take different forms, including threatening or insulting messages, repeated harassment and the distribution of humiliating content through digital communication channels.
However, the CBS summary does not specify which forms of online harassment were experienced by respondents.
It also does not establish whether the reported incidents occurred in private conversations, group chats or other digital settings.
The research therefore identifies WhatsApp as the principal platform reported without providing sufficient information to draw conclusions about the circumstances or severity of individual incidents.
Findings Provide Basis for Further Research
Although the reported prevalence of cyberbullying was low, the CBS findings provide a statistical starting point for examining bullying experiences in Curaçao.
The distinction between verbal, physical and digital harassment may be useful for organizations working on social well-being, education and the prevention of abusive behavior.
More detailed information about age groups, reporting patterns and the circumstances of bullying incidents would help determine whether particular groups face greater risks.
The CBS publication does not indicate whether cyberbullying has increased or decreased compared with previous surveys.
It therefore cannot establish a trend in online harassment over time based on the figures presented.
What the 2025 results do show is that verbal bullying was reported more frequently than either physical or online bullying, while WhatsApp was the platform most commonly associated with the cyberbullying incidents disclosed.
The findings contribute to a broader picture of social conditions in Curaçao and provide information that can support future research and discussions about preventing harassment both online and offline.