Are there population biases against migrant children? An experimental analysis of attitudes towards corporal punishment in Austria, Norway and Spain

This article examines whether migrant children are viewed differently than native children, employing an experiment on a representative sample of the populations of Austria, Norway and Spain. Asked about the acceptability of corporal punishment (CP) and whether it should be reported to child protection authorities by the school, the results show significant cross-country differences in the acceptance of CP but no biases due to migrant background. However, biases were found in some population sub-groups. The results suggest that when it comes to protecting a child from CP, the rising cultural status of children and the spread of a child protective attitude across societies may win out over biases against the child of migrant background. •This study examines population attitudes towards mild corporal punishment and its reporting.•The data results are derived from an experimental case vignette of representative samples in Austria, Norway and Spain.•There were significant cross-country differences in the acceptance of mild corporal punishment.•There were no biases towards the migrant child in attitudes about acceptance and inclination to report in the aggregate.•There were biases in population subgroups.