51 Attitudes Toward Spanking

Attitudes Toward
Spanking
Updated: April 2013
AttitudesTowardSpanking
April2013
In2012,accordingtoanationallyrepresentativesurvey,77percentofmen,and65
percentofwomen18to65yearsoldagreedthatachildsometimesneedsagood
hardspanking.Thisproportionhasdeclinedmodestlysince1986amongwomen,
whileapprovalamongmales,afterdecliningintotheearly1990s,remainedsteady
sincethen.
Importance
Oneofthemostfrequentlyusedstrategiestodisciplineachild,especiallyayoungerchild,is
spanking.1About94percentofparentsofchildrenagesthreetofourintheUnitedStatesreport
havingspankedtheirchildreninthepreviousyear.2
However,useofcorporalpunishmentislinkedtonegativeoutcomesforchildren(e.g.,
delinquency,antisocialbehavior,psychologicalproblems,andalcoholanddrugabuse),andmay
beindicativeofineffectiveparenting.3,4,5Researchalsofindsthatthenumberofproblem
behaviorsobservedinadolescenceisrelatedtotheamountofspankingachildreceives.The
greatertheageofthechild,thestrongertherelationship.6
Positivechildoutcomesaremorelikelywhenparentsrefrainfromusingspankingandother
physicalpunishment,andinsteaddisciplinetheirchildrenthroughcommunicationthatisfirm,
reasoned,andnurturing.7Studiesfindthistypeofdisciplinecanfosterpositivepsychological
outcomes,suchashighselfesteemandcooperationwithothers,aswellasimproved
achievementinschool.8
Thetypeofdisciplineparentsemployisofteninfluencedbyboththeageandthereasoning
abilityofthechild.9Forexample,ayoungerchildmaybelessabletorespondtorationalverbal
discipline;analternativestrategymightbetoredirectthechildsattention.10Incontrast,older
childrenmayrespondmorereadilytoreasonedcommunicationthatisbothfirmandnurturing.
April2013
Trends
Intheperiodbetween1986and2012,theproportionofwomenwhoagreedorstronglyagreed
thatitissometimesnecessarytogiveachildagood,hardspankingdroppedby22percent
(from82to65percent).Whileapprovalamongmendroppedsevenpercentbetween1986and
1991(from84to78percent),ithassinceremainedsteadyandwasat77percentin2012.
(Figure1)
Figure 1
Percentage of Males and Females Ages 18 to 65 Who Agree or Strongly

Agree that it is Sometimes Necessary to Discipline a Child with a "Good,
Hard Spanking," Selected Years 1986-2012
100
Males
84
80
82
79
78
73
82
75 77
69
60
72
73
75
77
73
65
69
Percent
Females
64
40
20
0
1985
1988
1991
1994
1997
2000
2003
2006
2009
2012
Source: Data for 1986-2000 was reproduced from Child Trends. 2002. Charting Parenthood: A Statistical Portrait of
Fathers and Mothers in America. Washington, DC: Child Trends. Table P5.1. Data for 2002-2012: Original analysis by
Child Trends of the General Social Survey
Differences by Gender
In2012,menweresignificantlymorelikelythanwomentoagreeorstronglyagreethatitis
sometimesnecessarytogiveachildagood,hardspanking(77and65percent,respectively).
(Figure1)
April2013
Differences by Race and Hispanic Origin

BlackandHispanicwomenaremorelikelythanarewhitewomentoagreeorstronglyagreethat
agoodhardspankingissometimesnecessary.In2012,74percentofblackwomenand76
percentofHispanicwomen,comparedwith64percentofwhitewomenagreedthatachild
sometimesneedsagoodhardspanking.AsianandPacificIslanderwomenweretheleastlikely
toagree,at12percent.(Figure2)
Figure 2
Percentage of Adults Who Agree that it is Sometimes Necessary to

Give a Child a "Good Hard Spanking," by Race and Hispanic Origin and Sex,
2012
100
90
Females
78
75
74
76
72
64
Percent
86
Males
64
47
50
25
12
0
WhitenonHispanic
BlacknonHispanic
Hispanic
Asian/PacificIslander
AmericanIndian/Alaskan
Native
Source: Child Trends' original analysis of the General Social Survey 2012.
April2013
Differences by Educational Attainment

In2012,collegeeducatedwomenandmenwerelesslikelythantheircounterpartswithless
educationtoendorsespanking.(Figure3)
Figure 3
Percentage of Adults Who Agree that it is Sometimes Necessary to

Give a Child a "Good Hard Spanking," by Education and Sex, 2012
100
Females
80
males
83
79
76
75
70
66
Percent
61
63
50
25
0
Lessthanhighschool
HighschooldiplomaorGED
Vocational/technicalorsome
college
Collegegraduate
Source: Child Trends' original analysis of the General Social Survey 2012
Differences by Age
Therearenosignificantdifferencesbyagegroupintheproportionofmenorwomenwhoagree
orstronglyagreethatspankingachildissometimesnecessary.
State and Local Estimates

Noneavailable.
April2013
International Estimates
Noneavailable.
National Goals
None.
What Works to Make Progress on the Indicator

SeeChildTrendsLINKSdatabase(LifecourseInterventionstoNurtureKidsSuccessfully)for
reviewsofmanyrigorouslyevaluatedprograms,includingthefollowingwhichhavebeenshown
tobeeffectivefortrainingparentsinpositive,nonviolentparenting:
EarlyStart:www.childtrends.org/?programs=earlystart
HealthyFamiliesNewYork:www.childtrends.org/?programs=healthyfamiliesnew
yorkhfny
ParentChildInteractionTherapy:www.childtrends.org/?programs=parentchild
interactiontherapy
STARParentingProgram:www.childtrends.org/?programs=starstopthinkaskrespond
parentingprogram
TriplePPositiveParentingProgram:www.childtrends.org/?programs=tripleppositive
parentingprogram
Related Indicators
Childmaltreatment:www.childtrends.org/?indicators=childmaltreatment
Childrensexposuretoviolence:www.childtrends.org/?indicators=childrensexposure
toviolence
Parentalwarmthandaffection:www.childtrends.org/?indicators=parentalwarmthand
affection(archived)
April2013
Definition
AdultsintheGeneralSocialSurveywereaskedtoreportwhethertheystronglyagree,agree,
disagree,orstronglydisagreethatitissometimesnecessarytodisciplineachildwithagood
hardspanking.
Data Sources
Datafor20022012:OriginalanalysisbyChildTrendsoftheGeneralSocialSurvey
conductedbytheNationalOpinionResearchCenterattheUniversityofChicago.
Availableathttp://sda.berkeley.edu/cgibin/hsda?harcsda+gss10
Datafor19862000:ChildTrends.2002.ChartingParenthood:AStatisticalPortraitof
FathersandMothersinAmerica.Washington,D.C.:ChildTrends.
http://www.childtrends.org/Files/ParenthoodRpt2002.pdf(SeeIndicatorP5andTable
P5.1)
Raw Data Source

GeneralSocialSurvey
www.norc.org/GSS+Website/
April2013
Appendix 1 - Percentage of Males Ages 18 to 65 Who Either Agree or Strongly

Agree that it is Sometimes Necessary to Discipline a Child with a "Good, Hard
Spanking": Selected Years, 1986-2012
1986
1988
1989
1990
1991
1993
1994
1996
1998
2000
2002
2004
2006
2008
2010
2012
84
81
83
82
78
73
78
73
77
79
75
77
76
77
75
77
WhitenonHispanic
84
80
83
82
75
73
76
73
75
79
74
77
74
77
77
78
BlacknonHispanic
80
93
80
93
91
80
90
82
90
87
80
87
90
92
82
90
Hispanic
80
79
55
75
69
82
77
76
67
62
72
72
59
78
83
72
47
Native
81
75
84
91
60
79
70
53
86
Total
1
RaceandHispanicOrigin
PovertyStatus
Poor
84
76
80
79
80
69
Nonpoor
83
81
82
82
78
74
Currentlymarried
86
86
82
82
82
74
78
75
78
78
76
76
77
79
78
80
Notcurrentlymarried
81
77
83
82
74
72
78
72
76
79
73
78
75
75
71
75
82
84
82
84
83
76
80
74
78
79
76
78
78
80
75
78
83
80
70
69
76
71
75
79
74
75
72
71
75
76
MaritalStatus
ParentalStatus
Parent
Nonparent
87
77
April2013
AgeofRespondent
1986
1988
1989
1990
1991
1993
1994
1996
1998
2000
2002
2004
2006
2008
2010
2011
18to24yearsold
83
71
85
76
73
67
58
69
79
79
68
78
79
68
69
81
25to44yearsold
84
81
81
81
75
74
79
73
76
76
78
75
75
78
79
77
45to65yearsold
83
84
83
86
82
73
81
74
77
81
75
78
76
79
74
76
EducationalAttainment
Lessthanhighschool
83
85
80
87
80
74
78
77
85
87
81
72
78
81
63
76
84
82
85
86
79
76
81
75
79
84
79
80
84
81
85
83
Vocational/technicalor
somecollege
78
88
81
81
82
86
72
75
81
77
72
73
79
78
79
Collegegraduate
83
76
78
74
70
66
72
68
69
66
67
78
70
66
71
70
EmploymentStatus
Notinlaborforce
86
81
83
82
82
75
76
73
77
77
77
80
67
77
77
77
Lookingforwork
72
72
76
72
58
66
73
67
71
85
84
69
90
80
77
58
74
95
76
71
73
61
71
67
57
76
82
81
82
84
86
75
71
83
76
77
84
76
78
78
79
74
79
Lessthan35hoursper
week
35hoursormoreperweek
Note:Scoresbasedontwocategories:StronglyAgreeorAgree
""datanotavailable
1
PersonsofHispanicoriginmaybeofanyrace.
Source:Datafor19862000wasreproducedfromChildTrends.2002.ChartingParenthood:AStatisticalPortraitofFathersandMothersinAmerica.Washington,DC:ChildTrends.
P5.1.Datafor20022010areaproductofChildTrends'originalanalysisoftheGeneralSocialSurvey,20022010.
April2013
Appendix 2 - Percentage of Females Ages 18 to 65 Who Either Agree or Strongly

Agree that it is Sometimes Necessary to Discipline a Child with a "Good, Hard
Spanking": Selected Years, 1986-2012
1986
1988
1989
1990
1991
1993
1994
1996
1998
2000
2002
2004
2006
2008
2010
2012
82
76
75
77
69
72
69
70
69
71
73
69
69
65
64
65
WhitenonHispanic
80
74
72
74
64
69
66
67
66
67
74
65
66
63
61
64
BlacknonHispanic
92
88
88
93
84
88
87
84
82
84
80
94
84
80
76
74
Hispanic
81
77
86
83
66
65
67
73
76
56
72
65
61
67
76
55
62
46
74
60
52
12
92
85
69
65
81
76
78
70
59
88
64
Poor
87
77
81
81
77
76
Nonpoor
81
76
73
76
65
70
Total
1
RaceandHispanicOrigin
Native
PovertyStatus
MaritalStatus
Currentlymarried
82
77
71
74
72
72
68
70
71
70
71
68
67
62
61
66
Notcurrentlymarried
82
76
77
78
67
71
69
71
67
72
75
70
71
69
68
64
Parent
84
77
76
77
71
73
70
71
70
73
73
71
69
65
63
66
Nonparent
75
73
71
75
61
68
65
68
65
64
73
63
70
66
67
64
ParentalStatus
10
April2013
1986
1988
18to24yearsold
86
75
68
70
72
72
65
60
71
67
85
79
70
25to44yearsold
81
76
73
78
69
72
69
70
67
73
72
72
45to65yearsold
82
77
77
77
68
72
69
72
70
70
69
EducationalAttainment
Lessthanhighschool
86
85
80
84
80
83
77
82
77
81
77
76
77
69
71
73
71
68
69
73
69
70
69
Collegegraduate
76
61
63
69
53
63
EmploymentStatus
Notinlaborforce
81
79
75
81
68
Lookingforwork
89
71
67
68
82
75
76
AgeofRespondent
Vocational/technicalor
somecollege
Lessthan35hoursper
week
35hoursormoreperweek
1989
1990
1991
1993
1994
1996
1998
2000
2002
2004
2006
2008
2010
2011
68
68
55
71
66
64
71
61
67
63
63
64
80
78
63
75
72
67
80
69
74
72
74.3
73
70
71.8
66
71
73
70
80
70
74
68
62
61
54
58
61
55
63
63
53
53
56
63
68
70
70
67
72
77
67
69
66
58
60
66
65
55
66
59
67
62
61
73
74
69
72
64
64
71
66
58
65
64
61.8
63
75
70
75
72
72
73
72
75
76
71
64
69
70
Note:Scoresbasedontwocategories:StronglyAgreeorAgree
""datanotavailable
1
PersonsofHispanicoriginmaybeofanyrace.
Source:Datafor19862000wasreproducedfromChildTrends.2002.ChartingParenthood:AStatisticalPortraitofFathersandMothersinAmerica.Washington,DC:Child
Trends.P5.1.Datafor20022010areaproductofChildTrends'originalanalysisoftheGeneralSocialSurvey,20022010.
11
April2013
Endnotes
Day,R.,Peterson,G.,&McCracken,C.(1998).Predictingspankingofyoungerandolderchildrenby
mothersandfathers.JournalofMarriageandtheFamily,60,7994.
2
StrausM.A.,andStewart,.JH.(1999).CorporalpunishmentbyAmericanparents:nationaldataon
prevalence,chronicity,severity,andduration,inrelationtochildandfamilycharacteristics.ClinicalChild
andFamilyPsychologyReview,2,5570.
3
McCord,J.(1995).Coercionandpunishmentinlongtermperspectives.NewYork:CambridgeUniversity
Press.
4
Straus,M.A.(2001).Beatingthedeviloutofthem:CorporalpunishmentinAmericanfamiliesandits
effectsonchildren(2nded.).NewBrunswick,NJ:TransactionPublishers.
5
Afifi,T.O.,Mota,N.P.,Dasiewicz,P.,MacMillan,H.L.,&Sareen,J.(2012).Physicalpunishmentand
mentaldisorders:ResultsfromanationallyrepresentativeU.S.sample.Pediatrics,130(2),19.
6
Bradley,RobertH.,etal.(2001).ThehomeenvironmentsofchildrenintheUnitedStates,PartII:
Relationswithbehavioraldevelopmentthroughagethirteen.ChildDevelopment,72(6),18681886.
7
Baumrind,D.(1991).Effectiveparentingduringtheearlyadolescenttransition.InP.Cowan&M.
Hetherington(Eds.),Familytransitions.Hillsdale,NJ:Erlbaum.
8
Ibid.
Petersen,G.,&Rollins,B.(1987).Parentchildsocialization.InM.SussmanandS.Steinmetz(Eds.),
HandbookofMarriageandtheFamily.NewYork:Plenum.
10
ChildTrends.(2002).Chartingparenthood:Astatisticalportraitoffathersandmothers.Washington,
DC:ChildTrends.http://www.childtrends.org/wpcontent/uploads/2013/03/ParenthoodRpt2002.pdf
12

51 Attitudes Toward Spanking

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

51 Attitudes Toward Spanking

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Attitudes Toward

Updated: April 2013

Percentage of Males and Females Ages 18 to 65 Who Agree or Strongly

Differences by Race and Hispanic Origin

Percentage of Adults Who Agree that it is Sometimes Necessary to

Differences by Educational Attainment

Percentage of Adults Who Agree that it is Sometimes Necessary to

State and Local Estimates

What Works to Make Progress on the Indicator

Raw Data Source

Appendix 1 - Percentage of Males Ages 18 to 65 Who Either Agree or Strongly

Appendix 2 - Percentage of Females Ages 18 to 65 Who Either Agree or Strongly

You might also like