Public Backs Equality Law Change For Children

The majority of the British public think that it is wrong for someone to hit a child in their family (56%), and even more think it is wrong to hit an adult in the family (84%). When asked about legal protection, just over half (57%) say that children and adults should be given the same legal protection from being hit in the family home, while another 29% think that children should be given more legal protection than adults. Following on from this, seven in ten (71%) would support a change in the law to give children and adult family members the same legal protection from being hit.

Technical details

MORI interviewed a representative sample of 2004 GB adults, face-to-face, between 26 February and 2 March 2004. The survey was carried out on behalf of the Children Are Unbeatable Alliance.

Topline Results

• The MORI Social Research Institute interviewed 2,004 British adults aged 15+ in 196 sampling points across GB
• Interviews were conducted face-to-face, in respondent's homes, between 26 February - 2 March 2004 as part of the regular MORI Omnibus
• Data are weighted by social grade, standard region, unemployment within region, cars in household, and age and working status within gender to be representative of GB
• Results are based on all respondents unless otherwise stated
• A '*' signifies a number less than 0.5%, but more than zero
• Where results do not add up to 100%, this could be the result of multiple answers, the exclusion of don't knows or computer rounding
• This poll is carried out by MORI on behalf of the Children Are Unbeatable Alliance

We would now like to ask you about family violence in Britain today. By violence we mean anything that could be considered a physical assault: a slap, a smack, or being hit on any part of the body with a hand or with an implement. We have used the words hit or hitting in the questions to cover all of these things, but we are not talking about hitting in self-defence or to protect people and property. Please remember all your answers will be kept strictly confidential.

To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements? Q1 "It is wrong for someone to hit a child in their family." Q2 "It is wrong for someone to hit an adult in their family."

Q3 Which of these statements is closest to your views about the law and how it should protect family members from being hit?

Q4 At the moment, children actually have less legal protection from being hit than adult family members. If the law is changed to give children and adults the same legal protection from being hit, how strongly would you support or oppose this change in the law?