Let’s take a look at Spanking Survey Results from a UK Punishment Magazine

Let’s review and analyze a survey on discipline conducted by the British magazine The Governess in the early 1990s among its members.

Unlike general BDSM or adult magazines, The Governess focuses heavily on spanking, so we might uncover some intriguing insights. It could be a great chance to reflect on what aligns or differs with your own interests.

As a child, I watched the spanking scene with Brigitta in The Sound of Music hundreds of times. Naturally, this meant I also heard the Captain’s line, “The new governess, Fraulein Maria,” hundreds of times right afterward. Even though I didn’t understand it at the time, my brain formed a synaptic connection of governess = spanking.

…Turns out, I wasn’t entirely wrong.

The data for this survey is sourced from the compilation The Governess Compendium Volume II (The Alice Kerr-Sutherland Society, 1995). The original article appeared in The Governess, Issue 4.

Overview of the Survey

This survey was conducted by The Governess magazine through its publisher, the Alice Kerr-Sutherland Society, targeting members of the disciplinary community. In 1993, the survey focused on female members, while in 1994, it targeted male members.

Judging by the questions and editorial comments, the survey for women seems a bit scattered, lacking comprehensiveness and sophistication, with some questions being hard to interpret. It’s a little unclear, honestly.

However, the following year’s survey for men appears to have been refined to ask the kind of questions you’d think, “Yes, that’s exactly what I wanted to know.” It gives the impression that the editorial team was trying to improve through trial and error.

In any case, since this is an underground magazine, we can’t say for sure how well the content reflects reality. However, compared to modern online surveys where anyone can respond anonymously, these results are based on paid subscribers of this niche magazine who received the survey via mail. That alone might make it worth a closer look.

Survey for Women (1993)

Let’s start with the survey for women.

Leaving aside the obvious “Well, of course” reaction for now…

The “interest” here refers to both giving and receiving.

Looking at the results, over half responded that both men and women should be disciplined, which made me think, “Ah, equality between the genders, how progressive.”

…But wait, 40% think only men should be disciplined? What?!

What’s with this abstract answer? I mean, “to restore balance” doesn’t make much sense to me, but at the same time, I kind of feel like I might understand what they’re trying to say.

Of the 70% who believed a whip should be used, an additional 30% specified that when using a whip on a woman, her consent must be obtained.

It’s unclear from the article whether this refers to women giving discipline or receiving it. Most likely, it’s meant to encompass both roles as part of general play.

The results here show an overwhelming preference for having some kind of disciplinary declaration beforehand.

Cane is the best

This is definitely something that varies by preference. It’s like in an RPG—your main weapon might be a sword, but your choice of a secondary weapon really shows your individuality.

The Governess noted this as a surprising result—24% said they have an assistant do the undressing. Seriously, why? It would also be interesting to know if this is a result unique to women.

In this context, “restraint” doesn’t refer to full-on bondage, but rather something as simple as restraining one part of the body, like the wrists.

How do you feel?

Is the writing punishment just assumed to be part of the process? This does feel very much like something out of a British boarding school discipline scene.

This seems like another area where opinions are quite divided. However, it’s clear that many people see humiliation as an integral part of the punishment

Ah, so this question is specifically about whether reducing the number of strikes mid-punishment is acceptable, and doesn’t touch on the idea of increasing the count.

Survey for Men (1994)

Now, here’s the survey for men.

Interestingly, the Governess editorial team used the survey results to create a persona representing a typical male discipline enthusiast.

Here’s a summary of what they came up with:

What do you think?

Of course, the editorial team emphasized that this persona is simply a summary based on the survey responses, and there are undoubtedly many people who differ from it in part or in whole.

That said, don’t you find there are aspects of it that resonate? The phrase, “I don’t feel like I was dealt a bad hand,” is such a beautiful expression, don’t you think?

People often say that we have no choice but to play the cards we’re dealt at birth. There’s also a lot of talk these days about how being “different from the norm” is just individuality.

But those ideas often feel like they’re about convincing yourself, persuading others, rationalizing, or even just making a point. What really matters, though, is whether you genuinely feel happy being yourself

—as long as you’re not causing harm to others, of course.

That’s all there is to the survey results, but since we’ve come this far, let’s take a closer look at each question, one by one.

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This question… While it seems to allow for multiple answers, it likely reflects the idea that there can be more than one trigger for developing an interest in discipline.

Even in a heterosexual M/m scenario, the door to this interest can sometimes open in situations like being punished alongside a female friend.

Or maybe women are transforming the erotic into artistic in their minds.

As expected, the demand for F/m (M) is the largest here, isn’t it?

This site leans heavily towards */f (F), so… well, I must apologize for that.

The Governess editorial team seems to find this area interesting as well. Despite the top result being that respondents want to “be a child” in their scenarios, they imagine themselves dressed as they normally are. It’s contradictory. Why is that?

…Well, digging too deeply into this probably won’t lead to anything particularly meaningful anyway.

…Well, digging too deeply into this probably won’t lead to anything particularly meaningful anyway.

These responses are from the 1990s, and over the past 30 years, people’s perspectives and attitudes have evolved in many ways. It’s likely that the results for this question would look quite different today.

Even in a time when this was such an underground fetish, spankos still managed to find happiness in it.

Just like with the women’s survey, the cane takes the top spot here as well. It makes you wonder if many of the respondents have actual experience with the cane themselves.

Surprisingly, many don’t want to be seen. …Well, of course, it’s natural not to want to be watched.

I feel the same—an extension of everyday life is preferable. Rather than completely implausible erotic fantasies, there’s something appealing about a scenario that feels like it could actually happen. That sense of realism makes it more engaging.

Of course, if it’s purely fiction, there’s no need for any limiters……

What do you all think about this?

Personally, I’m drawn to the words involved, so the “verbal notice” is something I particularly enjoy and feel is a key moment. It’s definitely a point of focus for me.

Freedom and responsibility are two sides of the same coin, aren’t they?

Interesting question. Perhaps it’s a matter of pride for a gentleman — choosing to endure the punishment in a way that’s not undignified, maintaining composure and restraint even in the face of discipline.

This site, too, sees spanking solely as an adult fantasy, and we do not wish for it to return as a form of punishment in society.

I just want to make that clear at the end.

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