This is the third survey of its kind that has been conducted by one of the leading global market research organizations, IPSOS, on behalf of Gleeden and focuses on love, marriage, and infidelity trends among three generations who have deeply embedded India’s socio-cultural thinking in themselves. The survey was conducted among 1,510 individuals, both men and women, who are aged between 18-60 years and living in 12 tier-1 Indian cities (Delhi, Jaipur, Ludhiana, Kolkata, Patna, Guwahati, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Indore, Bangalore, Hyderabad & Kochi), and tier-2 cities (Jaipur, Lucknow, Chandigarh, Gurugram, Indore, Noida, Surat, Nagpur, Bhubaneswar, Bhopal)
The focus of the study was to understand the changing perception of infidelity among GenZ, Millennials and GenX, and the emerging trends that are changing their understanding of love & marriages.
“At Gleeden, we have always felt that emotional fulfillment and the freedom to make a choice is central to any connection that matters. This survey reinforces what we have seen on our platform - Indians of all ages are beginning to challenge tradition and seek relationships that fit their changing emotional realities. As the conversations around love, intimacy, and loyalty are changing, Gleeden is slowly becoming the go-to safe & non-judgmental space for individuals to understand and embrace societal changes in an authentic way, and on their own terms.” says Sybil Shiddell, Country Manager, Gleeden India
The survey paints a detailed description of how Indians perceive relationships and the challenges these have to face in order stay healthy and happy, including infidelity, and how the different generations have been shifting opinion and mindsets over the past few years. It revealed that 33% of the total respondents feel that work-life balance and lack of quality time with family is a major challenge that leads them towards infidelity. The millennials (42%) make up the major part of these respondents, who are interestingly also part of the current workforce, whereas GenX (27%) and GenZ (31%) respondents also provide major backing in this aspect.
Despite affirming to feel very happy and sexually satisfied in their current relationships, over half of the total respondents (51%), say that they lack any emotional connection with their partners, whereas 42% and 38% respectively highlight that lack of excitement & thrill, and physical intimacy is why they are indulging in infidelity. The GenX (55%) are the major voices who do not have any emotional connection with their partners, whereas 49% of GenZ say that they are not satisfied with the physical intimacy that they have currently. 54% of GenX respondents say that they frequently have thoughts of exploring connections beyond their relationships, with 44% of GenZ and 39% of millennials having the same opinion.
Furthermore, the survey also reveals that both men (43%) and women (42%) have not stopped there, and therefore engaged in either physical and emotional infidelity Out of them, GenX (52%) leads the charts in having been part of both emotional and physical infidelity, followed by GenZ (41%) and Millennials (36%). The studies also reveal that 62% of millennials are more receptive to understanding the reason behind infidelity before making any decisions, followed by GenZ (50%), instead of looking to end the relationship abruptly.
Additionally, the study shows that Indians today are more receptive towards using infidelity as a tool to stay emotionally fulfilled in a relationship. 58% of the respondents say that they are open to infidelity if it helped them stay emotionally fulfilled, whereas 45% are of the opinion that it could also reignite passion in stagnant marriages. Overall, a staggering 45% believe that infidelity can sometimes save a relationship, out of which 47% are married individuals. 50% of GenX respondents also reveal that humankind is not made for monogamy, with 41% of the GenZ and 37% of Millennials sharing the same opinion. 63% of GenX and Millennials also reiterated that societal pressure forces people to stay monogamous, while 59% of the GenZ share the same opinion.
But the most striking finding from this part of the research is that men and women share virtually identical views on the subject: 62% of women and 61% of men believe that humans are not wired for monogamy — a model ultimately imposed by centuries of ossified social norms.” Overall, 61% of the respondents agree on this aspect, highlighting societal pressure as a major decision-maker in Indians’ relationships.
Finally, 41% of the respondents revealed that they are receptive to their partners suggesting an open relationship, while 35% admitted that they are already part of one. 68% of the respondents also pointed towards social media as the major enabler of infidelity, citing that it offers more opportunities. 64% of the respondents also admitted that they flirt on social media platforms despite being in a relationship, out of which 49% of the GenX respondents say that they do it frequently.
The survey was conducted in May 2025 by IPSOS on behalf of Gleeden, with the objective of understanding how love and relationships are changing among GenX, Millennials and GenZ Indians, and how their opinions have shifted over the last years. The results have since indicated that more Indians are opening up towards the notion of infidelity as an enabler for emotional availability and happiness and are more receptive towards meeting new people.
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