‘Microaggression’ comes from two words, ‘micro’ and ‘aggression,’ which means subtle but aggressive discrimination. It can be verbal or behavioral and aimed at stigmatized people in our society. In other words, microaggression is a subtle but pervasive form of discrimination in our everyday lives and society. It is, however, felt by those sensitive enough to catch it or towards whom it is targeted. Microaggression is not expressed directly like profanity, so when a discriminated person points out a problem, they are often judged as sensitive and picky.

For this reason, Real Research, an online survey app, launched a survey seeking public opinion on microaggression. The survey aims to reveal opinions on discriminatory human behavior via the use of language, especially at work and in various social settings. Here are the results.

Highlights:

  • 30.11% think “you are reliable because you are a man.” is a discriminatory remark that shows gender microaggression.
  • 30.63% feel, “You are so delicate because you are a woman,” shows gender microaggression.
  • 30.7% feel “You speak English so well,” is a discriminatory remark.

Survey About Microaggression and Discrimination

The survey starts by asking for respondents’ awareness on microaggression. In reply, 65.18% of respondents were aware of microaggression, whereas 34.82% said they were unaware.

Likewise, the survey asks if respondents have ever been discriminated against in their daily lives. To this, a majority of 63% said yes, whereas 36.9% said no.

Respondents-on-facing-discrimination-in-daily-life-conversations
Figure 1: Respondents on facing discrimination in daily life conversations

Further on, the survey reveals that 65.96% said yes, they felt unintentional discrimination in conversations from other people who meant it as a compliment to them. Meanwhile, 34.04% said no, they did not experience such instances.

Gender Microaggressions and Discrimination in Conversations

Next, the survey asks if the statement, “You are so delicate because you are a woman,” seems like a discriminatory remark to the respondents. To which 30.63% replied, ‘most definitely’, 23.18% were neutral about it, and 18% said ‘definitely’. On the other hand, 14.31% said it ‘rarely’ seems like a discriminatory remark, whereas 13.85% replied ‘not at all’.

Respondents-on-Gender-Microaggressions
Figure 2: Respondents on Gender Microaggressions

Similarly, the survey on microaggression asks respondents if the statement “you are reliable because you are a man” comes across as a discriminatory remark. 30.11% said ‘most definitely’, 17.66% replied ‘definitely, 14.66% said ‘rarely’, and 13.64% ‘not at all’.

Further on, the survey shared another example of a discriminatory remark, “You speak English so well,” and asked respondents’ opinions about it. 30.7% ‘most definitely’ felt it was discriminatory, 17.81% also said ‘definitely’, while 23% were neutral. 14.25% think it is ‘rarely’ considered discriminatory, and 14.1% think it is ‘not at all.’

Final Verdict on Microaggression as Discrimination

With another example towards an LGBTQ+ colleague, the survey asks respondents if this statement seems discriminatory, “You don’t look gay.” In response, 31.17% said ‘most definitely’, 23.11% were neutral, and 18.33% said ‘definitely’. Contrastingly, 14.02% said ‘not at all,’ and 13.37% said it’s ‘rarely’ considered discriminatory towards an LGBTQ+ colleague.

Verdict-on-microaggression-as-discrimination
Figure 3: Verdict on microaggression as discrimination

Conclusively, the survey asks respondents if they feel a discriminated person is considered sensitive or picky if they address a problem. The survey revealed that 57.6% of the respondents said that they do not think microaggression is discrimination; it is just a sensitive reaction. Meanwhile, 41.24% said that microaggression is absolute discrimination and that efforts should be made to eliminate it.

Methodology

Survey TitlePublic Opinion on Microaggression
DurationSeptember 12 – September 19, 2022
Number of Participants30,000
DemographicsMales and females, aged 21 to 99
Participating Countries Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Benin, Bolivia, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, China, China (Hong Kong) China (Macao), China (Taiwan), Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Greanada, Guatemala, Honduras, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lebanon, Libya, Lithuania, Malaysia, Maldives, Maluritania, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar [Burma], Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zimbabwe.