Which of the following is not a characteristic covered under hate crime legislation?

Hate crime legislation primarily focuses on crimes committed against individuals or groups based on specific characteristics that are often targeted due to societal biases. Commonly recognized characteristics under such legislation include race, religion, and often, sexual orientation or disability.

Age, while it can be a factor in discrimination or prejudice, is not typically included in the core characteristics that hate crime laws address. The emphasis is placed on traits that are more likely to lead to violent or prejudiced acts due to societal perceptions. Thus, gender is frequently recognized as a characteristic alongside race and religion in many jurisdictions’ hate crime statutes.

This specificity helps to ensure protection for those who have historically faced discrimination based on these identifiable and immutable characteristics. Therefore, the absence of age from the list of covered characteristics aligns with how hate crime laws are structured to target significant social biases that contribute to such crimes.