Poll: ‘More parents oppose a smacking ban than support it’

More parents of school age children in England and Northern Ireland oppose a ban on smacking than support it, an important new poll has revealed.

Of 3,692 parents surveyed by YouGov on behalf of the charity Parentkind, 43 per cent said it should be legal “for parents to smack their children”, while only 39 per cent were in favour of a smacking ban.

In England and Northern Ireland, the legal defence of ‘reasonable chastisement’ currently protects parents who only use a light smack from being charged with assault.

Opposition

Parentkind reported that dads “are much more likely to say it should be legal to smack their children than mums (54% vs 32%)”.

It found that 61 per cent “of ethnic minority parents agree that it should be legal to smack children compared to 39% of white parents”.

The poll also revealed that parents with children at independent school “are more likely to agree that it should be legal to smack children compared to parents with a child at state school (57% vs 41%)”.

The Christian Institute spearheads the Be Reasonable campaign, which opposes the criminalisation of loving parents who use smacking as a form of ‘reasonable chastisement’, which is protected under law.

Family life

In June, the Westminster Government rejected the latest attempt to criminalise parents who lightly discipline their children.

During the House of Lords’ Committee Stage of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, Baroness Finlay of Llandaff proposed that the Bill should “abolish the common law defence of reasonable punishment” in England.

But Education Minister Baroness Smith of Malvern reiterated that violence against children is already illegal, and said the Government will examine the impact of bans in Scotland and Wales before deciding on the issue.

She explained: “Most parents want what is best for their children and they should be supported. It is right that we protect all children who are at risk of harm, but it is also right that we do not intervene in family life when children are safe, loved and well supported.”