Survey finds that far fewer British people now want emphasis on “obedience” in children

British people are far less inclined to value “obedience” in children than they once were, a new international survey reports today –in a finding which may go against the thrust of recent conservative-oriented schools reform in England.

Research by academics at King’s College London also found that Britain ranked towards the bottom among 24 countries ranked according to whether or not they thought obedience should be encouraged at home.

Qualities such as good manners and selflessness were much more highly valued by British people, it found.

The analysis was carried out as part of the World Values Survey (WVS), which its organisers said was one of the largest social surveys in the world.

In the UK, the polling company Ipsos interviewed a random probability sample of 3,056 adults during 2022. This was then compared to findings in the 23 different nations, across all six continents, with a previous survey database going back to 1990 allowing for comparisons over time.