69 per cent of Indians say non-monogamy is gaining social acceptance: Gleeden report

NATIONAL: As India heads into 2026, a quiet but unmistakable shift is reshaping how relationships are formed and defined. A new nationwide survey by dating platform Gleeden, conducted with IPSOS among 1,510 respondents, finds that 69 per cent of Indians believe non-monogamous relationships are becoming socially acceptable, challenging the long-held idea that monogamy is a social obligation rather than a choice.

The findings suggest not a collapse of commitment, but its reinvention. Respondents increasingly view openness and consent as central to modern relationships, replacing rigid rules with personalised agreements built on communication and emotional clarity.

In tier-1 cities: Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Kolkata—68 per cent of respondents say India is becoming more open to non-monogamous relationships, though 22 per cent believe monogamy will remain the norm. Delhi emerges as the most progressive metro, with 80 per cent reporting growing acceptance and just 15 per cent identifying monogamy as their only relationship structure. Mumbai follows, with 69 per cent acknowledging greater openness, while Bengaluru reports 70 per cent acceptance. Hyderabad lags slightly at 58 per cent, and Kolkata sits in the middle, with 65 per cent seeing increased acceptance alongside a strong monogamous preference.

More striking is the data from tier-2 India. Across Jaipur, Ludhiana, Patna, Kochi, Guwahati and Indore, 70 per cent of respondents report openness to non-monogamous relationships, edging past the metros. Guwahati tops the national chart, with 86 per cent signalling acceptance, followed by Jaipur at 77 per cent and Ludhiana at 74 per cent. Even Patna, often seen as conservative, records 65 per cent acceptance. Indore remains the most traditional tier-2 city, though a majority there still acknowledge shifting attitudes.

The near-parity between tier-1 (68 per cent) and tier-2 (70 per cent) acceptance levels punctures the notion that non-monogamy is confined to an urban elite. The survey points to changing lifestyles and rising emotional literacy as key drivers, with Indians across geographies converging on the idea that relationships should be governed by consent, communication and choice, not inherited norms.

Gleeden India country manager Sybil Shiddell, says the trend reflects an evolution rather than an erosion of values. Indian couples, she notes, are choosing honesty and mutual consent over expectations that can breed secrecy and resentment. Increasingly, partners are replacing fixed rules with negotiated “contracts” that redefine exclusivity and loyalty on their own terms.