Statewise Civic Sense in India: India Today’s Survey Reveals Sharp Differences in Public Behaviour Across States

Key Points:

The foundation of a functioning society is said to lie in civic sense, which covers the awareness and practice of social responsibilities, respect for rules, and regard for public spaces. India Today conducted the Gross Domestic Behaviour (GDB) Survey 2025 in collaboration with How India Lives and Kadence International to know more about India’s place in this aspect. The study was conducted across 91 districts in 21 states and one Union Territory nationwide during the period between January and March 2025.

The study assessed the states on four key aspects — Civic Behaviour, Public Safety, Gender Attitudes, and Diversity & Discrimination. The study covered everything from responsible behaviour, how it occurs, and differences across various states to why they vary and what actions reflect civic sense. It provides a comprehensive behavioural profile of Indian citizens, touching upon subjects related to behaviour in everyday civic situations.

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The methodology followed 30 structured questions, which included 12 concerned with civic behaviour such as obeying traffic rules, helping accident victims, and avoiding malpractices like bribery or fare evasion. There were a total of 9,188 respondents with a balanced gender and urban-rural representation. It gives us an insight into the perception and social responsibility of Indians in public life.

The findings of the report by India Today show Tamil Nadu at the top of the civic behaviour list, emerging as a state that adheres to rules and responsibilities in social life. The state was followed by Odisha and West Bengal, which took their places on the chart owing to their community helpfulness and aversion to corruption.

The state that performed well across multiple behavioural dimensions, along with leading the composite GDB Index, is Kerala, which is also known for its high literacy rate. This demonstrates that social awareness, literacy, and local governance play a major part in building civic sense. Punjab and Uttar Pradesh were found at the lowest places on the spectrum of civic behaviour and bribery and public responsibility, respectively.

The survey was conducted to draw attention to the behavioural and social dimensions of development and not just the economic indicators. The quality of a society and its everyday conduct depends as much on civic sense as it does on GDP. The report suggests that the differences among the states and people are due to continuous civic education, consistent law enforcement, and cultural reinforcement, which count as collective responsibilities. The India Today GDB Survey 2025 provides policymakers with action-driven insights to promote civic responsibility as a vital part of the nation’s development narrative. [Rh^OG/SY]

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