(Redmond, WA, Tuesday, February 9, 2021) — Today, in conjunction with international Safer Internet Day, Microsoft is releasing its 2020 Digital Civility Index (DCI), a measure of the tone and tenor of online interactions, as reported by consumers worldwide. Even as the COVID-19 pandemic upended the world, the 2020 DCI bounced back three-percentage points from 2019, which had been its lowest reading in four years. This improvement can largely be attributed to teens, who accounted for nearly 80% of the recovery.

The results were published in Microsoft’s “Civility, Safety and Interactions Online – 2020,” a survey which gauged teens’ and adults’ perceptions about online life and their exposure to reputational, behavioral, sexual and personal/intrusive risk factors.

This year’s survey also found that:

• The pandemic appears to have bolstered online civility – Globally, 26% thought digital civility improved during this time, attributed largely to a collective feeling of “we’re all in this together.”
• Teens’ DCI across all 32 geographies surveyed improved three percentage points, from 66% to 63%.
• Teens showed more favorable scores across all four risk categories, with sexual risks dropping nearly four percentage points for young people.
• Previously the most common concern among respondents, “unwanted contact” improved markedly from last year – more people (56%) said civility was neutral or favorable terms of unwanted contact. Indeed, in 2019, online incivility stemming from unwanted contact alone scored 60%.

This year, Microsoft is offering several resources in support of the international Safer Internet Day theme, “Together for a Better Internet.” The Digital Civility Challenge promotes four, common-sense principles for safer, healthier and more respectful online interactions. Additionally, teens in the U.S. who are passionate about making a difference in our online world can apply to Microsoft’s 2021 Council for Digital Good, a program for young people to come together and improve online life. For more information on the Digital Civility Index and Safer Internet Day, go to: https://blogs.microsoft.com/on-the-issues/?p=64477.