News Jaya

Misleading Incorrect claims from The Yes Vote

The Yes Vote is a site for people who believe that a smack as part of good parental correction should be a criminal offence in New Zealand. In its defence for the evils of light smacking, it runs stories about how the pain of smacking is sexually stimulating and can directly lead to suicide attempts.

No, I’m not kidding. There will be a story on how a smack caused someone to have an abortion next.

According to the site, a recent UMR survey showed that 37% of the population oppose the use of physical discipline. Meaning 63% don't. This survey was used by the Office of the Children’s Commissioner to establish a benchmark for monitoring attitudes to physical discipline.

But then the Yes Vote had this: “only 20 percent of people oppose the Child Discipline Law” based on that same survey. Righto, 63% are not anti-smackers, but even more are not opposed to the legislation.

The 20% figure is inaccurate because it is not the figure provided by the survey. Just for a minute, put aside the fact that the sample is not representative of the population and then reports as if it transferable, while conflating smacking and assault. Forget the under sampling of ethnic groups more likely to smack. How did the Yes Vote get it so wrong? They either lied or made the 20% figure up. The report says 28%.

According to the survey, 30% thought a misbehaving kid should be given a smack. But even more - 58% according to the survey - think it is alright to smack kids in certain circumstances. Just 20% disagreed. Given that 80% did not disagree, that is the benchmark. Therefore, they do not think a smack as part of good parental correction should be a criminal offence. To its credit, the survey actually reflected current polling on the issue in that 80% of the population actually oppose the law. You didn't hear that from the Children's Commissioner, though, who was replaced with a temp a few months after the report was issued.

But according to Yes Vote logic, the figure is probably about 88% who will vote No in the upcoming referendum. The figure is based on the Yes Vote unique eight percentage point scale system.

update Someone in comments pointed this out.

UMR found that 21% of those polled strongly supported the amendments to Section 59

That's nice - 79% didn't.

The report was done as a benchmark on attitudes to physical discipline not attitudes to the law change. You can't get valid stats when you ask questions conflating light smacking with horrific child abuse, while saying that those surveyed don't necessarily do so but reporting it as if they do.