PHYSICAL PUNISHMENT IN THE HOME IN NEW ZEALAND

Abstract

Results are reported for a national opinion poll of 1,000 adult New Zealanders which focussed on two questions: what are New Zealand parents currently doing to discipline their children, and what are the current attitudes of New Zealanders towards physical punishment in the home? Changes appear to be occurring in the attitudes and behaviour of New Zealanders toward physical punishment in the home. Although smacking with the hand is still both approved and used as a common parental response to the misbehaviour of children of all ages, anything more severe is no longer part of the repertoire of most parents or the experience of most children. Further evidence of change is provided by data on difference among the groups in the sample. Younger parents, current parents and the more highly educated are less likely to report using and endorsing the more severe forms of physical punishment that those who are older, have never had children or who have less education. Unlike the reported child‐rearing practices of 30 years ago, parents today appear to be making use of a range of non‐physical responses to misbehaviour and are more frequently explaining or discussing matters with their children.