The study which was carried out on behalf of The Irish Times established that 8% of Irish parents have slapped their child on the grounds that they were 'being naughty' and cited the frequency as 'often'.
While 44% of parents polled considered the frequency with which they slapped their child as 'seldom', the overall result ascertained that 51% of Irish parents have slapped their children.
The poll indicated that younger parents are less likely to slap their children in comparison to their older counterparts, with 81% of under 35's asserting that they had 'never' slapped their child while just 37% of those in the 55 plus category asserted the same.
The poll, which surveyed 580 parents and was carried out between February 9th and 15th, dealt with a range of factors which may influence whether a child is on the receiving end of a slap from a parent.
According to the poll, students and homemakers were least likely to strike their child with over half saying they had never done so, while it also established that more mothers were likely to discipline by slapping than fathers.
The number or respondents were not, however, evenly dispersed throughout the survey, with 255 parents in the 35-54 age bracket answering questions on slapping in comparison to 73 in the 35 and under bracket.
In addition to methods of discipline, the poll also explored Irish parents' attitude to telling their child they loved them.
According to figures, 100% of parents aged between 15-34 'often' told their child they loved them, while 95% of the 35-54 age bracket and 79% of 55 plus category said the same.
In contrast to these figures, the study revealed that 3% of the 55 plus bracket admitted to 'never' having told their children they loved them.
The poll, which aso addressed issues such as lunch preparation, nappy changing responsibilities and homework duties, can be found in Saturday's edition of The Irish Times.
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