Recap: MBS Sunday Brunch for Jan 20

This week, we debated what percentage of the population is spanking enthusiasts. As you can see, there was a lively discussion and wide distribution of opinions.

Lee: I would say so. I doubt that the majority of them live a lifestyle comparable to you and Randy, but the result seems highly probable. Here’s as an example. I worked with a girl this summer who seemed quiet during orientation. She seemed like someone most people would more likely peg as "virgin" than "kinky." She later told me in casual conversation, "Oh yeah, 'Dan' and I do weird stuff all the time. The other night, he definitely broke a paddle over my ass."

Lori: Well, no one has surveyed me or any spanko I know. So there must be a much higher percentage than 13%. Spanking is something about which most people keep quiet. Even if asked, a spanko may choose to answer “no” and thus throw off the result of the survey.

Jessica: I am sure that the statistic is true, if not a low estimate. I don't know that 30 million give hard spankings on a regular basis, but I'll bet more than that dabble.

Paul: I have no idea how reliable that figure is, but if it is good for the US, then we probably have about a 20% figure in the UK. This could be very encouraging.

Mthc: I think the number is probably low, although most people only spank as foreplay, and probably wouldn't admit to it!

JMRPT: Only 13%? I strongly suspect it's higher. Spanking for fun probably would not register as actual spanking for many folk.

David: I believe the number is low. To me, it is something special shared between two people totally committed to each other. Most people are not going to admit to this and share their true feelings with the rest of the world.

Lele: I believe the number is low too, but that could be wishful thinking!

Jeana: I think 13% seems about right. There sure seem to be plenty of people blogging or commenting on blogs about it. Like Bonnie, I have my theories about a few people that I know. Apart from myself and my husband, I have only heard two people bring it up in real life. One was a high school boyfriend who very playfully spanked me with a ping-pong paddle. We talked about taking it further, but it never happened and we broke up. The second was my best friend's husband who dropped by to pick something up one day. I was home by myself and he basically vented to me. Long story short, he had tried it, and she freaked out which led to him feeling like she didn't trust him.

This has nothing to do with the question, but when I try to post things on here it often says it has posted it and then when I look back it isn't there. Any theories?

Jeana, I’m sorry you’re experiencing that problem with Blogger. I’ve seen it before. What works for me is have a Google account and log in before I enter a comment. When I do this, my comments seem to be accepted every time.

Web-Ed: Another survey suggested that among young couples, 25% had at least experimented with spanking, which I find plausible. Unfortunately, as far as I know, there are no reliable figures as to what percentage of the general population we hard-core spankos represent. Based on the great difficulty many of us have in finding spanking partners, as well as other factors, I would estimate the true number is less than 10%, and probably 1% would be closer.

Hi Web-Ed! I’m delighted to have you join us.

Hermione: I agree that it is probably higher, maybe around 20%. More people would tend to deny actual spankings than claim fictional ones.

I would be interested in finding out the percentages by age group and by location within the US. I wonder if more older adults have been spanked, simply because they were exposed to it as children. And, in some areas of the US, corporal punishment at school is still permitted, I believe.

I assume the numbers for Canada would be similar. Since we have assimilated so much of American culture, why not spanking too? And it's a great way to keep warm!

Prefectdt: I would love to be able to believe this figure, but I am always wary of figures that are quoted by a popular source (e.g. a game show) until I find out the source of their information.

If this is an accurate figure, and 13% of people have received a spanking as an adult, that must mean that there is another 13% out there that gave those spankings. That would mean that as a group, we make up over one quarter of the population. That would be nice, wouldn't it :-)

Elle: I don't know much about the US, but where I live, I imagine the figure is MUCH higher. All of my close friends know about my so-called "unusual" sex life and the majority of them have confessed to a variety of related kinks. Not all do, but a lot of them. I've always been fairly open about these things, and I can talk about them. Maybe it's because I'm young, but I really don't see sex, spanking, or anything else I've tried *wink* as shameful or something that we should hide. It's something we should enjoy and not be afraid to say so.

That said, last week I had a semi-public "adventure" with the boyfriend that got me in a lot of trouble with some railway staff... So maybe I'll tone it down a bit.

Bonnie: I really have no idea. My first thought after reading this statistic was the one Prefectdt mentioned. If thirteen percent of adults were spanked, could that mean that a different thirteen percent did the spanking? But that’s probably wishful thinking.

Perhaps the real number depends upon our definition of spanking enthusiast. It’s one thing to take a few quick pops during sex or laugh over birthday swats at a college party and quite another to maintain a catalog of your extensive implement collection (or create 800 blog posts on the subject of spanking). I could easily imagine a quarter of the adult population fitting into the first group. The second group is obviously smaller. The most interesting question for me is How often and under what circumstances do members of the first group join the second? Again, I don’t have the answer, but it’s certainly worth pondering.

Anon: I have read other blogs and I think 13% is about right.

Kiwi: I would say it has to be higher. Most people won’t admit to it for whatever reason.

Thank you, everyone, for sharing your insight!