Outlook-Synovate India Survey

Teenagers feel parents contribute much more than teachers, their peers, or the media in shaping their values and beliefs.

Outlook Web Desk

Updated on: 5 February 2022 9:53 pm

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Outlook-Synovate India Survey

Teenage
Outlook-Synovate India Survey
Teenagers feel parents contribute much more than teachers, their peers, or the media in shaping their values and beliefs.

Agreement

Are parents and teenagers unable to truly communicate with each other?Teens who say "yes"56%Parents who agree54%

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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%).

Can teenagers speak to their parents about their love life and sexual behaviour?Teenagers who felt they could not73%Parents who believed such issues weren't being communicated68%

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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.

Is it OK for teenagers to have sex?Teens who thought it wasn't OK90%Parents who thought it wasn't OK93%

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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.

Who contributes the most to shaping the values and beliefs of a young person?Teenagers who say their parents were the biggest factor50%Parents who say they play the largest role49%

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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.

Some Disagreement

Do teenagers get enough privacy from their parents?Teenagers who said they got adequate privacy50%Parents who felt teens got enough privacy63%

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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).

Should parents know all their teenage children’s friends and about their background?Teenagers who agreed74%Parents who wanted to know84%

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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.

Is it OK for parents to insist on knowing where their children are and where they plan to go?Teenagers who felt it was alright74%Parents who felt they needed to know88%

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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.

Is there too much explicit content (sex, violence, etc) in the media for teenage minds?Teens who thought so63%Parents who agreed72%

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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.

Clear Disagreement

Is it OK for parents to go through their children's cupboards and papers without asking them?Teens who wanted their privacy respected55%Parents who felt they should respect this space37%

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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.

Is the internet a bad influence on teenagers?Teens who felt the net wasn’t a bad influence55%Parents who weren’t wary of the net's influence37%

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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.

Is easy availability of or access to mobile phones a bad influence?Teenagers who disagreed55%Parents who disagreed30%

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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.

Do teenagers today face a lot of peer pressure to break taboos?Teens who agree that they do face such pressure46%Parents who believe that teens face it62%

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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).

The survey was conducted among parents and teenagers in Bangalore, Chandigarh, Chennai, Delhi, Calcutta and Mumbai. In all, 422 boys and girls in the age 13-17 age group were interviewed, as were 415 parents of teenagers.