The survey by consumer insights company Pondering Panda interviewed 3078 respondents between the ages of 13 and 34 across South Africa. They were asked about the Social Development Department’s proposed law that would make it a criminal offence for parents to smack their children at home. The survey found that 11% of respondents felt it was okay for a parent to smack their child at all times, 63% felt it was sometimes okay, and 25% believed it was never acceptable for a parent to do this.
Although the majority of respondents supported the concept of corporal punishment, younger respondents were less likely to agree that it was sometimes or always justified. 65% of 13 to 14 year olds held this opinion, compared to 79% of 25 to 34 year olds. There were also differences among race groups, with young white South Africans the most likely to believe that physical discipline was sometimes or always okay. 85% of whites felt this way, compared to 75% of blacks and 55% of coloureds. There was no difference of opinion according to gender.
The survey also found that young people were against criminalising the smacking of children by their parents. More than 3 in 5 (61%) did not support this idea, compared to 31% who were in favour of making smacking a child a criminal offence.
Despite opposition to the introduction of a law criminalising physical discipline, young people were not opposed to the concept of government involvement in family life. When asked whether the government should get involved in people’s family problems, almost half of respondents (49%) said that it depended on the problem. In contrast, 15% felt the government should get involved in family life, and 35% believed the government should stay out of it at all times.
Shirley Wakefield, spokesperson for Pondering Panda said, “Whilst this is a sensitive subject, with very real concerns around physical abuse at home, the findings indicate that, from time to time, young people are okay with parents smacking their children. What this survey also shows is that young people are not against government intervention in family affairs completely, but conditionally support government intervention on certain issues.”
All interviews were carried out on cellphones between the 3rd and the 6th of August, across South Africa, excluding deep rural areas. Responses were weighted to be nationally representative in terms of age, gender and race.
