Cancel Culture Demographics
What gender is most likely to be canceled?
GENDER
We curated a list of 99 public figures who were canceled between 2017 and 2020. Men represented 57 percent of the perceived offenders. Women appeared in the dataset 41 percent of the time, while non-binary celebrities represented 1 percent of the complete list.
Does race matter?
Does age matter?
AGE
In our data set, adults who were between 30-39 years of age were most likely to be canceled. Both the young and the old were often given grace, however. Youth under the age of 18 and adults older than 80 were least likely to appear in the dataset. Future studies can explore why we are seeing these generational exceptions, and whether they exist in everyday life.
RACE
During our observation period, between 2017 and 2020, white public figures were canceled more often than any other racial group. Black celebrities were the second most likely ethnic group to be canceled, followed by multiracial, Hispanic/Latinx and then Asian public figures. Although cancel culture skews white, it is inclusive in its public shaming practices.
Do public figures apologize?
MEA CULPA
Despite all of the indignation that public figures have expressed about cancel culture, most of them (64%) apologized in the first 30 days of their cancellation. This signals that they knew it was important to make amends within the court of public opinion, even if done begrudgingly.
Do men apologize after being canceled?
APOLOGIES FROM MEN
Men were more likely than women to apologize after being canceled. Roughly 55 percent of the 64 apologies that appeared in the dataset came from them.
Do women apologize after being canceled?
APOLOGIES FROM WOMEN
Although most canceled women in the dataset did apologize eventually, they still were not as likely to do so as canceled men. Only 29 of the 64 apologies came from women.
State of Cancellation
STATUS UPDATE
Most of the individuals who appeared in our dataset were able to regain their status after cancellation. This means, they were eventually invited back to affairs were they had previously been excluded; given lucrative deals after endorsements may have been lost temporarily; or re-platformed after having a TV show, podcast or social media account suspended.