Generally they are committed by kids in their teens or early twenties who are venting deep feelings shared by the family, friends or community. Hate crimes are generally committed by people in groups of four or more. The bigger the group, the more vicious the crime. Hate crimes are generally more prevalent during times of economic and political uncertainty. However, activists have reported increased incidents and more heinous violence in the past two years which has triggered questions about whether hate crime is on the rise despite a good economic climate.
Hate crimes are more lethal than other kinds of attacks.
Victims are generally hospitalized four to five times more often than those attacked in other crimes. Hate crimes mirror the identity of one's own group. Some argue that the crime is seen as a positive act that displays the attacker's identity and love of the group. Information in this section was based in part on research reported a 1990 New York Times article, written by Daniel Goleman, summarizing the findings of American scientists studying hate crimes and information from the American Psychological Association.