With the objective of identifying factors related to the prevalence of receiving online hate material that targets a user's sexual orientation, the current study obtained data from a sample of 968 Internet users with ages that ranged from 15 to 36.
Using a logistic regression analysis, the study found that social network usage, online antagonism, informal online social control, and a lack of online anonymity increased the likelihood of being targeted for hateful messages regarding sexual orientation. Moreover, individuals living in the southern region of the United States were nearly three times as likely to be targeted by hate related to sexual orientation; whereas those living in rural areas were more than twice as likely to face such targeting. (publisher abstract modified)