Public attitudes to physical punishment of children: wave 2 2019

Findings from this survey wave are compared to an identical set of questions included in the 2018 Beaufort Omnibus survey.  Each Wales Omnibus survey is conducted with separate samples of Welsh adults 16+ which are quota samples in terms of demographics such as age, gender, region and social grade.       

Main findings

• The findings from both waves of the survey show that attitudes in relation to physical punishment are mixed and there is a degree of misunderstanding around the current status of legislation. 
• There has been a change in opinion about physical punishment since the 2018 survey among those with caring responsibilities for the under sevens, those in the youngest age group (16 to 34s) and those in social grade C2DEs (largely manual occupations). They are now more likely to have opinions against physical punishment and to be more in favour of the legislation.
• A higher percentage of people surveyed in 2019 reported being in favour of removing the defence of reasonable punishment than in 2018. 
• As reported in the 2018 survey, people would still like more detailed information about how the law will work and clarity around definitions such as smacking and reasonable punishment.