More than half of Irish parents slapped their children, poll shows

More than half of Irish parents have slapped their children, according to the results of a "Family Values" poll carried out by Ipsos MRBI on behalf of The Irish Times.

In the survey, 8 per cent of Irish parents said they had slapped their children “often” for “being naughty”, and 44 per cent had slapped their children “seldom”. When figures are rounded off, the total who have slapped is 51 per cent.

Parents under the age of 35 are significantly less likely to slap their children than their older counterparts. The survey found that 81 per cent of under-35s “never” slapped their children compared with 37 per cent of the 55-plus age category.

The results show the changing attitudes to slapping over time: 11 per cent of parents aged 55 and over, the oldest generation covered by the survey, said they had slapped their children “often”. This fell to 6 per cent in the 35-54 age category, while just 4 per cent of under-35s said they slapped their children “often”.

The generational shift in parents’ attitudes to slapping could also be seen in respondents’ working status, with just 31 per cent of retirees saying they had never slapped their children, compared with 54 per cent of working people.

Other than students, “homemakers” were the least likely to slap their children with 58 per cent saying they had never done so compared with 54 per cent of working people and 43 per cent of unemployed respondents.

Mothers were more likely to slap their children than fathers were (9 per cent versus 7 per cent).

A total of 580 parents participated in the Irish Times/Ipsos MRBI survey, carried out between February 5th and 19th, 2015, from a wider poll of 1,000 adults aged 15 and over.

The overall figures on slapping should be seen in the context of the sample, as there was a higher number of respondents in the older age categories: 255 parents answered questions on slapping in the 35 to 54 category, and 226 did so in the 55-plus category, while just 73 respondents were aged 35 or under.

Respondents who did not answer the question on slapping or said it was not applicable to them were excluded from the above analysis.

Elsewhere the survey showed that younger parents were also most likely to tell their children they loved them with 100 per cent of parents in the 15 to 34 age category "often" telling their children they love them.

This figure falls to 95 per cent in the 35-54 age category; the remainder of parents in this age bracket said they “seldom” expressed their love.

Indeed the only age category which admitted to never telling their children they loved them were the 55-pluses, 3 per cent of whom admitted they had never told their children they loved them, compared to 17 per cent who said they seldom said it and 79 per cent said they did so “often”.

Mothers from across the age categories were most likely to tell their children they loved them often: 94 per cent compared to 82 per cent of fathers, while just 1 per cent of mothers and 2 per cent of fathers said they “never” told their children they loved them.

Mothers were also more likely than men to change their babies nappies. When parents who said the question was not applicable to them were excluded 99 per cent of Irish mothers said they "often" changed nappies with just 1 per cent saying they never did so. This compared with 74 per cent of men who changed nappies often, and 9 per cent who never did so.

Other questions which were asked of all parents indicate that mothers were more likely than fathers to “often” prepare their children’s school lunch, make Sunday dinner, help children with their homework and do the grocery shopping.

Further findings from the poll will be published in The Irish Times on Saturday March 21st.