Indians prefer text or e-mail to exchange sensitive or not-so-sweet talks: Study

Seven out of 10 Indians text or e-mail things that they would not say voice-to voice or person-to-person

If it’s sensitive or not a sweet statement, most of the Indians prefer communicating that through an e-mail or a text message.

A recent study by independent market research firm Ipsos’s global innovation centre Open Thinking Exchange (OTX), 69% or seven out of every ten Indians have admitted that they say things in text message or in e-mail that they would not say voice-to voice or person-to-person.

This is far ahead of the global average of about 43%. The study was conducted among 18,502 adults in 25 countries in August.

People prefer to share sensitive comments like — ‘I love you’, ‘Our relationship is over’, ‘You are fired’, ‘I failed in exam’ in writing rather than saying over the phone or face-to-face to avoid embarrassment when they are physically involved, Biswarup Banerjee, Head of Marketing Communication, Ipsos in India.

“Text or e-mail is comparatively an impersonal medium and people feel less hesitant to speak their mind. Perhaps that is the reason why majority of Indian would rather avoid saying things in person or over phone, Banerjee said.

However, India stands at No 4 in the list, after China (90%), South Korea (80%) and Indonesia (76%), and followed by Saudi Arabia (67%), according to the study.

Demographically in India, age appeared to be the most significant variable as those under the age of 35 (75%) are considerably more likely than those aged 35-49 (67%) and those 50-64 (52%) to text/e-mail things they won’t say out loud.

Education is also a significant factor as seven in ten (69%) of those with a high level of education say they do so compared with 100% among those with low education. Both Indian women (70%) and men (68%) feel more comfortable texting / e-mailing sensitive subject rather than voicing it out.

Do you say things in text/email that you would not say voice-to-voice or person-to-person?

	Yes	No
TOTAL	43%	57%
China	90%	10%
South Korea	80%	20%
Indonesia	76%	24%
India	69%	31%
Saudi Arabia	67%	33%
Turkey	58%	42%
Brazil	48%	52%
Japan	46%	54%

Source: Ipsos