Has corporal punishment of children been banished?

By parents:

Britain is practically alone in Europe in not having legislation banning corporal punishment in the home. Across Europe, 22 countries now have such legislation.  It remains legal in Britain when used by parents “in accordance with reasonable chastisement”.

In the Archive we have several studies which examine British public opinion on the matter. Under the heading “Smacking is for parents to decide” a MORI Survey, conducted in 2007, found that 59% of parents with children under 18 agreed that “the law should allow parents to smack their children.” And a similar Angus Reid survey of 2019 found 63% still felt that way.

In a MORI survey among 505 parents of children aged 15+ conducted in October 1999 for Nestle, 70% agreed that ”if parents are not allowed to smack their children they will soon be out of control”, while only 20% disagreed. And 74% would like parents to be “held responsible for their children’s crimes.”

But it should be noted that public opinion had been mellowing over time : if we look back to 1990, NOP found that 86% of a sample of parents said it was a bad thing that all corporal punishment in home should be banned by law, with just 9% saying that it was a good thing.

By 2023, however, the position has reversed: a YouGov poll conducted for the NSPCC found that 67% of adults in England believed physically disciplining a child is “not acceptable.”  Of those expressing an opinion, 46% believed physical punishment worsens a child’s behaviour compared to 39% who said it made it better. And a year later in a similar repeat survey, they found that 52% backed a ban on physical punishment for children.

It seems that British public opinion has only relatively recently moved to a majority in favour of a ban on corporal punishment in the home. Though it should be noted that the recent studies are based on all adults whereas the older studies were based on parents!

In schools:

Turning to British schools, corporal punishment was banned in state schools in 1987, and in private schools in 1998. In most of continental Europe school corporal punishment was banned several decades earlier, and in France it was known as “The English Vice”.

Concerning the issue of corporal punishment in schools: we have numerous studies in the Archive, from 1978 – 2007, addressing the opinions of teachers, parents, children and even (in one instance) employers. In every case both teachers and parents were against abolition. In an NOP study in Jan 1980, for example, 16% of parents, 22% of teachers and 14% of employers were against abolition. On the part of pupils themselves, only 28% thought it should be abolished, 62% said it should not be abolished and 9% didn’t know.

A MORI survey conducted in 1985 asked 604 parents of schoolchildren whether they would “favour or oppose the use of corporal punishment such as caning in schools.” 63% were in favour, and 33% were opposed to the idea.   In fact, 67% also reported that they had received “some kind of corporal punishment” when they themselves were at school.

By 1990, however, attitudes were shifting. When asked by NOP about the issue of corporal punishment in schools and whether or not it should be allowed, far fewer people gave a positive reply with only just over half (51%) saying that it should be allowed. The in-school punishment issue also highlighted the differences between the feelings of mothers and fathers. Men tended to be more in favour of allowing corporal punishment at school (56%) than did women (45%).

Since that time the figure in favour of corporal punishment seems to have levelled off at round the 50% level. A YouGov survey of October 2011 found 53% supporting the idea of “schools introducing more corporal punishment (such as smacking and caning)’’, while 36% disagreed.

However, it is interesting to look at other concerns that parents have about their children’s schools: in the MORI survey of March 1985, the 605 parents were asked: Here are some things which some parents have said they are worried about in their child’s school. Which of them are you worried about in their primary school/secondary school?  Answers were:

Although ‘discipline’ is the primary concern for secondary schools, it is far from a majority concern. The ‘basics’ and ‘too many pupils in class’ are close behind. While in primary schools the dominant issue was the size of the classes. Corporal punishment is banned by law in schools, even though c 50% of parents would support it. It seems that the ‘English Vice’  is banished.

Sources in the Archive:

In MORI Reports:
MORI Survey in 2007 for the Dept for Children. Schools and Families

In MORI British Public Opinion:
MORI Survey of Oct 1999: in BPO April 2000, Vol XXIII No.3.
MORI Survey of 1985: in Issue 07.03 March 1985

In NOP Reports:
NOP Political, Social, Economic Review Issue no.80 1990 March

Contributed by Peter Bartram
Date posted: 21st May 2025

This post updates an earlier version of this story published on the AMSR portal website.