Nearly 20% of millennial, Gen Z parents spank their kids; ministry urges caution

Despite a decline in support for using spanking as a punishment in Canada, around 20% of millennial and Gen Z parents report that they spank their children, according to a study that explored beliefs about whether spanking a child is ever necessary.

The study, published in the Canadian Journal of Public Health in April, found that 18.7% of Gen Z parents and 22.1% of millennial parents admitted to spanking their children. Gen X parents were more likely to report spanking their children than the other two generations, at 45%.

Researchers also asked over 3,700 adults about their beliefs on spanking. Fifteen percent of respondents said they believed “it is necessary to use spanking to properly raise a child.” By contrast, 72.6% did not support that belief, while 10.6% said they did not know and 1.8% said they preferred not to answer.

Millennials and Gen X respondents were more likely to have experienced spanking during childhood than Gen Z respondents, the study found. Researchers also noted that “having a history of being spanked as a child was associated with increasing odds of spanking one’s own child.”

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