Conservative Protestantism and attitudes toward corporal punishment, 1986-2014

- Research indicates that conservative Protestants are highly supportive of corporal punishment.
- However, support for the use of corporal punishment as a child-rearing strategy has diminished among adults in the U.S.
- We use data from the U.S. General Social Surveys (1986-2014) to evaluate changes in attitudes toward corporal punishment.
- Less educated conservative Protestants have remained relatively consistent and homogeneous in attitudes toward corporal punishment.
- Other groups have seen decreased support for corporal punishment.

Research indicates that conservative Protestants are highly supportive of corporal punishment. Yet, Americans' support for this practice has waned during the past several decades. This study aggregates repeated cross-sectional data from the General Social Surveys (GSS) to consider three models that address whether attitudes toward spanking among conservative Protestants shifted relative to those of other Americans from 1986 to 2014. Although initial results reveal a growing gap between conservative Protestants and the broader American public, we find that average levels of support have remained most robust among less educated conservative Protestants, with some erosion among more highly educated conservative Protestants. Moreover, trends in variability suggest that conservative Protestants exhibit more cohesive support for this practice than do others. These results provide a window into the cultural contours of religious change and the social factors that facilitate such change.