Outlook-Synovate India Survey

Teens who say "yes"

Parents who agree

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Both teens and parents agree that a communication gap exists, in particular Calcutta (63%) and Chandigarh (70%) teens, and parents in Calcutta (64%) and Bangalore (62%).

Teenagers who felt they could not

Parents who believed such issues weren't being communicated

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47% of Calcutta parents felt their children could communicate, but just 23% of their teens agreed. 68% of teens and 79% of parents also felt parents whose children were having sex should talk to them and persuade them to stop.

Teens who thought it wasn't OK

Parents who thought it wasn't OK

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Some Delhi, Mumbai and Calcutta parents felt age 20 was old enough; other parents and teens preferred to wait till marriage. Parents seemed harder on drinking--90% of teens said "no" to drinking under age 16; 98% of parents concurred.

Teenagers who say their parents were the biggest factor

Parents who say they play the largest role

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Both teenagers and their parents are clear that parents have the largest impact on nurturing, far more than do factors like school, peers or the media.

Teenagers who said they got adequate privacy

Parents who felt teens got enough privacy

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Calcutta showed the greatest satisfaction: 61% of teens and 81% of parents said teens had enough privacy. Calcutta also showed the most agreement that teens really needed a separate room (90% of teens and 87% of parents).

Teenagers who agreed

Parents who wanted to know

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In Chennai, 41% of teens felt it wasn't necessary, against just 11% of Mumbai teens. Chennai parents seemed the least anxious; 24% believed this wasn't important, against just 7% of Mumbai and Delhi parents.

Teenagers who felt it was alright

Parents who felt they needed to know

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Teens in Bangalore and Chennai (30% and 34%) sounded quite independent—believing their parents did not need this information. But 91% of Mumbai parents and 93% of Calcutta parents felt they had to be informed.

Teens who thought so

Parents who agreed

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Delhi and Chennai teens seemed more liberal, with 43% in both cities saying the media didn't carry excessive explicit content. Meanwhile 46% of parents in Delhi agreed with that, against just 17% in Chennai.

Teens who wanted their privacy respected

Parents who felt they should respect this space

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73% of Calcutta teens valued their space. Many Calcutta and Chennai parents (47% & 50%) felt this space should remain private. Yet many Delhi (76%) and Chandigarh (71%) parents felt they didn't need their children's permission.

Teens who felt the net wasn’t a bad influence

Parents who weren’t wary of the net's influence

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Many teens (a whopping 80% in Calcutta) didn't feel the internet was particularly pernicious. Yet only Calcutta and Chennai parents (47% & 43%) really supported the internet.

Teenagers who disagreed

Parents who disagreed

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Calcutta and Bangalore teens (64% & 70%) were particularly pro-mobile phone. Parents however were consistently against them in all the centres polled.

Teens who agree that they do face such pressure

Parents who believe that teens face it

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Teens seemed split on the issue (45% said they didn’t face such peer pressure). Parents, other than in Delhi, where 66% said there was no peer pressure to break taboos, clearly believed the pressure was real (62-74% across centres).