Most Brits oppose criminalising parents who smack

The majority of British adults do not think parents who smack their children should be criminalised for doing so, a large survey has revealed.

In a poll of almost 4,000 adults in Great Britain conducted by YouGov, 60 per cent said parents ‘probably should not’ or ‘definitely should not’ be criminalised if they choose to smack their children. Only 30 per cent said they should, while the remainder responded ‘don’t know’.

The poll comes amid pressure to ban smacking in England and Northern Ireland, with the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health urging politicians to axe the legal defence of reasonable chastisement, which currently allows loving parents to lightly discipline their children without fear of prosecution.

Lacking public support

The areas where support for a smacking ban was highest were in Wales (41 per cent in favour) and Scotland (38 per cent in favour). However, while those countries implemented bans in 2022 and 2020 respectively, 51 per cent of the adults surveyed in each nation remained opposed to criminalising parents. Support for a ban was lowest in the Midlands, with just 26 per cent in favour, and 64 per cent opposed.

The only demographic where support for a ban outweighed the opposition was among 18 to 24-year-olds, with 50 per cent in favour to 42 per cent opposed. A YouGov survey from 2020 estimated that only 6 per cent of 18 to 24-year-olds are parents or guardians.

All other age categories were broadly against criminalising parents, with 75 per cent of those aged 65+, 65 per cent of 50-64s, and 51 per cent of 25-49s all against a change in the law.

Conservative voters were most likely to oppose a ban, with 77 per cent against it, with only 16 per cent in favour. Labour and Liberal Democrat voters were also broadly opposed, with 48 and 50 per cent opposed respectively, although 39 per cent of each group broadly supported a ban.

Trust in parents

Simon Calvert, spokesman for the Be Reasonable campaign, said: “The Great British public is far wiser on this issue than the so-called parenting experts. They understand that children are already protected from assault and so changing the law on reasonable chastisement would simply mean prosecuting innocent parents for harmless behaviour.

“When it comes to the question of whether a mum should be able to tap a tot on the back of the hand, we should trust parents, not criminalise them.”