Attitudes Toward Spanking
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Headline

In 2004, 79 percent of 18 to 24 year old females agreed that a child sometimes needs a "good hard spanking" compared with 61 percent of 45 to 65 year old females. (See Figure 2)

Importance

One of the most frequently used strategies to discipline a child, especially a younger child, is spanking.¹ Research suggests that about 94 percent of parents of children ages three to four in the United States report having spanked their children in the previous year.² At the same time, however, use of corporal punishment is often linked to negative outcomes for children (e.g., delinquency, antisocial behavior, and low self-esteem), and may be indicative of ineffective parenting. ^3,4 Research also finds that the number of problem behaviors observed in adolescence are related to the amount of spanking a child receives, with the relationship becoming stronger as children age.⁵ Positive child outcomes can be obtained when parents refrain from spanking and other physical punishment and alternatively discipline their children through firm, rational control and nurturing communication.⁶ Studies find that this type of disciplinary style can foster positive psychological outcomes such as high self-esteem and cooperation with others, as well as improved achievement in school.⁷

The type of discipline employed is often influenced by both the age and the reasoning ability of the child.⁸ For example, younger children may have greater difficulty responding to rational communicative discipline, whereas older children may respond more readily to firm and nurturing communication. For younger children, an alternative strategy may be to redirect the child's attention, rather than use rational communication or spanking.⁹

Trends

In the period between 1986 and 2004, the percentage of men who agreed or strongly agreed that it is sometimes necessary to spank a child hard dropped from 84 percent to 77 percent. Among women, the percentage dropped from 82 percent to 69 percent during the same period. (See Figure 1)

Differences by Gender

In 2004, men were significantly more likely than women to agree or strongly agree that it is sometimes necessary to spank a child (77 percent and 69 percent, respectively). (See Figure 1)

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Differences by Educational Attainment

In 2004, there were no significant differences in attitudes towards spanking by level of education for males or females. In past years, females with greater levels of education were less likely to believe that giving a child a "good, hard spanking" is sometimes necessary.¹⁰

Differences by Race and Hispanic Origin

Non-Hispanic black women are more likely than women of other races/ethnicity to agree or strongly agree that "a good hand spanking" a child is sometimes necessary. In 2004, 94 percent of non-Hispanic black women, compared with 72 percent of Hispanic women, 65 percent of non-Hispanic white women, and 46 percent of Asian/Pacific Islander women, agreed that a child sometimes needs a "good hard spanking." (See Figure 3).

Differences by Age

Younger women are more likely than older women to agree or strongly agree that spanking a child is sometimes necessary. In 2004, 79 percent of 18 to 24 year old females agreed that a child sometimes needs a "good hard spanking" compared with 61 percent of 45 to 65 year old females. (See Figure 2)

Related Indicators

Child Maltreatment, Parental Warmth and Affection

State and Local Estimates

None

International Estimates

None

National Goals

None

What Works: Programs and Interventions that May Influence this Indicator

None available at this time.

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Research References

¹Day, R., Peterson, G., & McCracken, C. (1998). Predicting spanking of younger and older children by mothers and fathers. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 60, 79-94.

² Straus M.A., and Stewart, JH. (1999). "Corporal punishment by American parents: national data on prevalence, chronicity, severity, and duration, in relation to child and family characteristics." Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 2 :55 -70.

³McCord, J. (1995). Coercion and punishment in long-term perspectives. New York: Cambridge University Press.

⁴Straus, M.A. (2001). Beating the devil out of them: Corporal punishment in American families and its effects on children (2nd ed.). New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishers.

⁵Bradley, Robert H., et al. (2001). "The Home Environments of Children in the United States Part II: Relations with Behavioral Development through age Thirteen." Child Development, 72(6): 1868-1886.

⁶Baumrind, D. (1991). Effective parenting during the early adolescent transition. In P. Cowan & M. Hetherington (Eds.), Family Transitions. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.

⁷Ibid.

⁸Petersen, G., & Rollins, B. (1987). Parent-child socialization. In M. Sussman and S. Steinmetz (Eds.), Handbook of Marriage and the Family. New York: Plenum.

⁹Child Trends. (2002). "Charting Parenthood: A Statistical Portrait of Fathers and Mothers." Washington, D.C.: Child Trends. http://www.childtrends.org/Files/ParenthoodRpt2002.pdf

¹⁰This indicator originally appeared in another Child Trends publication, Charting Parenthood: A Statistical Portrait of Fathers and Mothers. Washington,D.C.: Child Trends. http://www.childtrends.org/Files/ParenthoodRpt2002.pdf

Definition

Adults in the General Social Survey were asked to report whether they strongly agree, agree, disagree, or strongly disagree "that it is sometimes necessary to discipline a child with a good hard spanking".

Data Source

Data for 1986 - 2000: Child Trends. 2002. Charting Parenthood: A Statistical Portrait of Fathers and Mothers in America. Washington, D.C.: Child Trends. http://www.childtrends.org/Files/ParenthoodRpt2002.pdf (See Indicator P5 and Table P5.1)

Data for 2002 - 2004: Original analysis by Child Trends of the General Social Survey

Raw Data Source

General Social Survey
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/GSS/

Approximate Date of Next Update

2008

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