California survey estimates millions experienced hate last year; teens and schools disproportionately affected

A California civil-rights department presentation of 2023 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) data concluded that hate is far more prevalent than official reports suggest. Alec Watts, assistant deputy director for the California Civil Rights Department, and David Kalkstein, the department's research data specialist, told the commission their analysis estimates roughly 2.6 million Californians experienced at least one hate act in the prior 12 months.

"We estimate that over 2 and a half million Californians experienced at least 1 active hate within the last 12 months," Kalkstein said during the presentation. He noted the estimate corresponds to about 8 percent of Californians age 12 and older and emphasized that the CHIS measure counts people who experienced verbal abuse, noncriminal incidents and criminal acts alike.

Why it matters: CHIS uses a broader, public-health framing than criminal-record datasets, so it captures noncriminal incidents (for example, chronic harassment or online abuse) and witness experiences. Kalkstein said that nearly 5 million Californians reported witnessing hate in the previous year, and that teens face elevated risk: "around 15 percent of teens" reported directly experiencing hate in the past year and nearly one-third reported witnessing hate.

Survey-versus-crime-data gap: Kalkstein highlighted a striking difference between CHIS estimates and law-enforcement counts for property damage and physical violence. Using CHIS to approximate criminalized acts, the presenters estimated about 439,000 adults and 86,000 teens experienced hate-motivated property damage or physical violence in the prior year. By contrast, DOJ reports for 2022—23 list roughly 1,200 adult and about 100 youth victims in those categories, implying that "less than 1 percent" of incidents suggested by the survey appear in official DOJ tallies, a gap that may reflect reporting barriers and definitional differences.

Locations and motivations: The CHIS-based analysis found adults most often experience hate in public places (45 percent of hate victims reported incidents on sidewalks or streets) and businesses (34 percent), while teens most commonly encounter hate at school (80 percent of teen victims) and online. Race or skin color was the most frequently selected bias motivation, followed by ancestry, national origin or language; Kalkstein noted that over one-third of victims reported multiple motivating biases, underscoring intersectional risk.

Methodological caveats: Presenters stressed these numbers are estimates and not precise counts. Kalkstein and Watts noted CHIS samples are representative but have limitations for small subgroups and that some CHIS items do not capture religious identification—limiting direct analysis by faith affiliation. The department said it will combine future years of CHIS data and conduct qualitative follow-ups to deepen understanding.

What's next: CRD encouraged use of the AskCHIS tool for county-level exploration and said a 2024 CHIS dataset will add new questions and qualitative interviews, which staff said will help explain support needs and offender-offender relationships.

The CHIS presentation and related Q&A were delivered to the commission by Alec Watts and David Kalkstein; commissioners and members of the public raised questions about the survey definition of "hate," disability-related measurement issues, and county-level breakdowns. The commission requested staff continue methodological documentation as the department moves data into the annual report.