Results of a Survey of Lincoln County residents
Regarding views on appropriate parenting behaviors
The Lincoln County PAC received 119 responses (with more expected to come) to a 12-question survey regarding what respondents believe is and is not appropriate parenting behavior. The responses were received via two routes. One was mailed-in responses to an advertised survey text printed in four Lincoln County papers: the Lincoln City News-Guard, the Newport News-Times, the Depoe Bay Beacon and a local shopper-advertising vehicle. The other response route was direct interviews with people at various supermarkets around Lincoln County. Not all respondents were Lincoln County residents, but the great majority were; and all but one (a Washington
resident) were Oregon residents. We cannot say the survey was scientifically designed or carried out, but it is fair to say it obtained a fair representation of local opinion on its subject matter.
There were 52 males who responded and 59 females.
There were 39 Democrats and 36 Republicans--reflecting closely the modest registration advantage Democrats have in the county, indicating the accuracy of the sample--as well as 11 independents and 32 "others."
There were 15 aged 18 to 25; five aged 26 to 30; eleven aged 31 to 38; thirtysix aged 39-49; twentyone aged 50 to 65, and twenty aged 64 and above. So 41 were 50 or older, reflecting the county's tilt toward older residents.
The vast majority were married--62; 12 more were divorced or widowed. Thirtyone were single. Thus nearly three-quarters were likely to have thought about parenting, and indeed, 104 said they have children.
The vast majority--110 respondents--reported they were spanked as a child. Only 13 said they were not. (The others did not recall.) Ninety-six said it was alright that their parents spanked them; 14 said it was not, and two didn't know.
We did not ask if the respondents spank or spanked their own children: there is too much concern and even fear out there that admitting to spanking one's children might have legal ramifications with the government. Many expressly stated in the supermarket interviews that they were afraid of just this sort of danger.
Interestingly, two-thirds of the rspondents--78--did not attend church. Only 43 did. To the extent that church-going is associated with conservative views and non-attendence with liberal views, this would suggest a bias in the sample towards pro-feminist views and the liberal agenda of protecting children from abuse, even, as we would argue, at a price in the weakening of the family. Despite that evidence of a likely tilt in attitude against child abuse (on top of the entirely appropriate and widespread view that child abuse is not only a serious crime but a moral evil) the respondents overwhelmingly reported having themselves been spanked and not believing it was inappropriate.
Question 10 asked if the individuals believe "it is ok to spank your child if needed?" The survey did not define when it might be "needed," but left that up to the respondent. Eighty-five replied it is ok; six responded it is not; and 12 checked the box "rarely."
Thus, out of 119, only 14 felt it was wrong that their parents did so. And 85 said it was "okay to spank your child if needed".
However, qestion 12 asked when spanking is excessive, and that elicited a somewhat different set of responses. Over a third said that spanking is excessive "when it leaves no marks at all." That is to say, they entirely opposed spanking of any severity, well more than the 14 who felt their parents were wrong to spank them or the six who said flatly it is wrong to spank even if needed. Another 21 felt spanking is excessive if it "leaves some redness."
That makes 55 (21 and 34) who, basically, were pretty much against any or virtually any spanking. Another 8 opposed it if it leaves "a few red lines;" adding them to that 55 makes 63 who to a greater or lesser degree did not like spanking and are either wholly or generally against it.
The variation in the survey is not something unusual in surveys. Most ask the same question in various ways, and often small diffrences in presentation of the basic question elicit varrying answer structures.
What this survey found was that 96 out of 119 felt that it was okay their parents spanked them; 85 felt it is okay to spank a child if needed; but 34 opposed spanking even if it leaves no mark at all, and 29 more oppose it if it leaves even minimal or somewhat more than minimal marks. All together, that is a very reasonable, thoughtful set of responses. The core finding was that 14 though it was wrong when they were spanked; six opposed spanking a child even when it appears "needed" and 34 oppose it even if it leaves no marks. Thus, the range (depending on how the question was asked) of those who, basically, are simply against spanking was between 14 out of 119 (about 1/8th, or
13%) to 34 out of 119 (about 1/3, or about 33%).
Clearly, the overwhelming view is that spanking is acceptable, but that it should not be of any great severity.
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