A NEW SURVEY has revealed that almost half of Irish people believe it is acceptable to slap a child.

The survey, commissioned by Newstalk, found that 49 per cent of people thought it was acceptable to slap a child at least under some circumstances, with 49 per cent saying they had actually done so.

Some respondents said they had felt guilty in slapping a child, and only ever did so out of frustration, though one respondent said: “A little tip on teh hand or bum never done [sic] anyone any harm”.

The survey – which collected responses from nearly 800 people – also found that a quarter of people believe Irish parents dress their children inappropriately for their age.
39.5 per cent believed it was acceptable to give alcohol to a minor – while slightly less, 38.9 per cent, said it was never acceptable, while the remainder did not know.

In separate questions, exactly 2.3 per cent of people said it was acceptable to allow a child to smoke cigarettes and cannabis – though over 90 per cent of respondents to either question said it was never acceptable to do so.

In all, just over 70 per cent of people believed they were a good parent.

Quick poll: Is it ever acceptable to slap a child?

Read: Total ban on smacking children under consideration by Government