Ofcom Online Experiences Tracker (OET) Wave 4

“Technical report – The Online Experiences Tracker (Wave 4, July 2023)”

“representative sample of UK internet users aged 13-84”

“Technical report – The Online Experiences Tracker (Wave 4, July 2023)”

Publication year follows the first release of this wave’s questionnaire and tables (9 October 2023), listed by Ofcom: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/media-use-and-attitudes/online-habits/internet-users-experience-of-harm-online?language=en

“between 7th and 17th July 2023”

All interviews conducted over a 10-day period, 7–17 July 2023.

“AGE: 13-17 976”

Youth sample: 976 respondents aged 13–17 within 14,181 total respondents aged 13–84. Harm and app-attribution questions have smaller eligible bases after consent, experience selection and routing.

“AGE: 13-17”

The entry covers the youth subgroup, not the full 13–84 sample.

“undertaken by YouGov on behalf of Ofcom”

Non-probability online panel (YouGov); recruited with quotas to be nationally representative of UK internet users 13-84, then weighted. No boosts were applied in Wave 4 given the larger sample.

“These errors affected our measures of encountering harmful content.”

Ofcom withdrew Wave 3 after questionnaire-design errors affected harmful-content measures. Wave 4’s larger sample was collected as a response; this does not mean the invalid Wave 3 responses were combined into Wave 4.

“Which, if any, of the following have you seen or experienced online in the last 4 weeks?…” “Persistent bullying online”

The list also includes one-off abusive behaviour or threats. Q8 asks about experiences seen or experienced, not only personal victimization.

“Which, if any, of the following have you seen or experienced online in the last 4 weeks?…” “Content relating to eating disorders”

“Which, if any, of the following have you seen or experienced online in the last 4 weeks?…” “Content promoting self-harm”

The separate suicide item is also included. Both are exposure questions, rather than reports of the respondent’s own self-harm.

“Which, if any, of the following have you seen or experienced online in the last 4 weeks?…” “Content depicting or encouraging violence or injury”

“Which, if any, of the following have you seen or experienced online in the last 4 weeks?…” “Sharing of, or threats to share, intimate images without consent”

Full item includes the example 'e.g. revenge porn'.

“Which, if any, of the following have you seen or experienced online in the last 4 weeks?…” “People sending unwanted/unsolicited sexual or nude images or videos, e.g. ‘cyber flashing’”

“What type of site or service were you using when you most recently experienced”

Q9 selects the most recent experience. Respondents who continue answer Q21 about the type of service, followed by a named-app question. The same app lists apply to the included harms. This is attribution of an experience, not a rate among all users of each app.

“What type of site or service were you using when you most recently experienced”

Q9 selects the most recent experience. Respondents who continue answer Q21 about the type of service, followed by a named-app question. The same app lists apply to the included harms. This is attribution of an experience, not a rate among all users of each app.

“What type of site or service were you using when you most recently experienced”

Q9 selects the most recent experience. Respondents who continue answer Q21 about the type of service, followed by a named-app question. The same app lists apply to the included harms. This is attribution of an experience, not a rate among all users of each app.

“What type of site or service were you using when you most recently experienced”

Q9 selects the most recent experience. Respondents who continue answer Q21 about the type of service, followed by a named-app question. The same app lists apply to the included harms. This is attribution of an experience, not a rate among all users of each app.

“What type of site or service were you using when you most recently experienced”

Q9 selects the most recent experience. Respondents who continue answer Q21 about the type of service, followed by a named-app question. The same app lists apply to the included harms. This is attribution of an experience, not a rate among all users of each app.

“What type of site or service were you using when you most recently experienced”

Q9 selects the most recent experience. Respondents who continue answer Q21 about the type of service, followed by a named-app question. The same app lists apply to the included harms. This is attribution of an experience, not a rate among all users of each app.