Study title

Attitudes towards Corporal Punishment of Children in Finland 2025

Dataset ID Number

FSD3975

Persistent identifiers

https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD3975
https://doi.org/10.60686/t-fsd3975

Data Type

Quantitative

Authors

• Central Union for Child Welfare

Abstract

The dataset continues the research conducted by the Central Union for Child Welfare on the development of corporal punishment of children and attitudes towards it. The survey also maps the use of corporal punishment reported by parents themselves. Taloustutkimus was responsible for the data collection.

The survey first explored Finnish people's opinions on the acceptability of using physical and psychological forms of corporal punishment. For example the respondents were asked whether it is justifiable to resolve conflicts between a child and a parent with moderate violence in exceptional cases, and whether it is acceptable to address a child's misbehavior by yelling. Next, the respondents who had underage children were asked whether they had used corporal punishment on their children, such as pulling their hair or threatening them with violence. Additionally, all the respondents were asked whether they had been subjected to corporal punishment during their own childhood and whether they were aware that corporal punishment is illegal in Finland. Finally, all the respondents were asked to evaluate how harmful they consider different methods of addressing a child's behavior in terms of the child's development, such as spanking, ignoring the child, or sending the child to calm down alone.

The background variables of the dataset include gender, age group, region, major regions, municipality population size, household composition, age and number of children living at home, occupational status, marital status, employment situation, type of locality, and generation.

Keywords

attitudes; child development; children; corporal punishment; domestic violence; parent attitude; parent-child relationship; parents; smacking

Topic Classification

• Social sciences (Fields of Science Classification)
• Children (CESSDA Topic Classification)
• Family life and marriage (CESSDA Topic Classification)
• Social behaviour and attitudes (CESSDA Topic Classification)

Series

Attitudes towards Corporal Punishment of Children in Finland

Distributor

Finnish Social Science Data Archive

Access

The dataset is (B) available for research, teaching and study.

Data Collector

• Taloustutkimus

Time Period Covered

2025

Collection Dates

2025-02-03 – 2025-02-05

Nation

Finland

Geographical Coverage

Finland

Analysis/Observation Unit Type

Individual

Universe

People aged 15-79 living in Finland (excluding the Åland Islands)

Time Method

Longitudinal: Trend/Repeated cross-section

Sampling Procedure

Probability: Simple random

The data collection was carried out by Taloustutkimus using an online panel. A total of 7,893 individuals were invited to participate via email, and 1,057 individuals completed the survey by the deadline.

Collection Mode

Self-administered questionnaire: Web-based (CAWI)

Research Instrument

Structured questionnaire

Response Rate

13.4

Data File Language

Downloaded data package may contain different language versions of the same files.

The data files of this dataset are available in the following languages: Finnish.

FSD translates quantitative data into English on request, free of charge. More information on ordering data translation.

Data Version

1.0

Completeness of Data and Restrictions

To prevent the identification of respondents, the researcher has grouped the highest values of the variable BV12, which pertains to the number of children, into a single category.

For identification reasons, the variable BV9 containing the respondent's municipality code has been removed from the dataset in the Finnish Social Science Data Archive. Additionally, the variable BV8, which contained classified information about the respondents' municipalities, has also been removed for the same reason. Furthermore, the responses to variables BV11_1 through BV11_18 have been removed for respondents with more than four children. The variables BV11_1 to BV11_18 record the ages of the children in the family.

Weighting

The dataset contains a weighting variable, PAINOKERROIN, which calibrates the sample to reflect the target population based on age, gender, and region of residence.

Citation Requirement

The data and its creators shall be cited in all publications and presentations for which the data have been used. The bibliographic citation may be in the form suggested by the archive or in the form required by the publication.

Bibliographical Citation

Central Union for Child Welfare: Attitudes towards Corporal Punishment of Children in Finland 2025 [dataset]. Data version 1.0 (2025-06-23). Finnish Social Science Data Archive [distributor]. DOI: https://doi.org/10.60686/t-fsd3975; URN: https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD3975

Deposit Requirement

Notify FSD of all publications where you have used the data by sending the citation information to user-services.fsd@tuni.fi.

Disclaimer

The original data creators and the archive bear no responsibility for any results or interpretations arising from the reuse of the data.

FSD has not been informed of any publications related to the data.