Girls’ Confidence Gap: 22% Rarely Feel Confident

Girls may be more likely than boys to say they are happy at school, but that does not necessarily mean they feel confident, motivated or emotionally comfortable in their daily lives. A nationwide survey of students in India has highlighted this contrast, finding that girls report lower levels of confidence and calmness while experiencing anxiety and frustration more frequently than boys.

The findings come from the 2025-26 Student Well-being Pulse Report, published by the IC3 Institute in collaboration with the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE). The survey covered 8,515 students and examined different aspects of their emotional experiences at school, including happiness, confidence, motivation, calmness and negative emotions.

One of the report’s most notable findings concerns confidence. While 52% of girls said they often or always felt confident, the corresponding figure among boys was 64%. More importantly, 22% of girls said they rarely or never felt confident, compared with 14% of boys.

The difference suggests that school happiness and personal confidence do not necessarily move together. Although girls reported slightly higher levels of happiness at school, their responses across several other well-being measures indicated a less positive emotional experience.

THE CONFIDENCE GAP BETWEEN GIRLS AND BOYS

Confidence was among the areas where the survey recorded a clear difference between male and female students. According to the report, nearly two-thirds of boys often or always felt confident, compared with just over half of girls.

The figures become particularly significant when looking at students who rarely or never experience confidence. More than one in five girls fell into this category, while the proportion among boys was considerably lower.

Confidence plays an important role in how students approach academic challenges, participate in classroom activities and respond to unfamiliar situations. Students who feel confident may be more comfortable asking questions, expressing opinions, attempting difficult tasks and engaging with others.

However, the survey does not establish whether lower confidence affects academic performance or classroom participation. It records students’ reported experiences rather than measuring the direct consequences of those feelings.

The findings nevertheless highlight the importance of understanding how students perceive their own abilities and experiences. Academic achievement alone may not provide a complete picture of whether young people feel secure and capable in their school environment.

GIRLS REPORT LOWER LEVELS OF CALMNESS

The confidence difference was accompanied by another gap in how students described their emotional state. The survey found that girls were less likely than boys to often or always feel calm and relaxed.

Around 42% of girls reported frequently feeling calm, compared with 53% of boys. Meanwhile, 28% of girls said they rarely or never felt calm and relaxed. Among boys, the corresponding proportion was 22%.

These responses indicate that a larger share of girls experience difficulty feeling emotionally settled. Calmness is an important part of everyday well-being because students regularly deal with academic responsibilities, social interactions and changing expectations.

Feeling calm does not mean being free from every challenge. Rather, it reflects how students experience their everyday emotional environment. A student may be satisfied with school life overall while still finding it difficult to manage pressure or feel relaxed during the school day.

The report does not identify the reasons behind the difference in calmness. It also does not establish whether the responses are linked to particular subjects, school environments, family circumstances or social experiences.

MOTIVATION ALSO SHOWS A DIFFERENCE

Motivation was another area in which girls recorded lower figures than boys. The report found that 55% of girls often or always felt motivated to do things, compared with 61% of boys.

Although the difference is smaller than the confidence gap, it adds to the broader pattern identified in the survey. Across confidence, calmness and motivation, girls were less likely to report consistently positive experiences.

Motivation can influence how students approach their responsibilities, maintain interest in activities and continue working towards their goals. In a school setting, it may be reflected in participation, willingness to learn and engagement with everyday tasks.

However, motivation is influenced by several possible factors, and the survey does not establish why girls reported lower levels. The findings should therefore be understood as a difference in students’ self-reported experiences rather than evidence of an underlying cause.

The figures also demonstrate why motivation should not be judged only through visible classroom behaviour or examination results. Students may continue completing their academic responsibilities even when they do not consistently feel motivated.

GIRLS REPORT MORE ANXIETY AND FRUSTRATION

The report also identified differences in negative emotional experiences. Girls were more likely than boys to say they often or always felt anxious or frustrated.

Around 33% of girls reported frequently feeling anxious, compared with 23% of boys. This means that the proportion of girls reporting frequent anxiety was 10 percentage points higher than the proportion among boys.

Frustration showed a similar pattern. Around 36% of girls said they often or always felt frustrated, while the figure for boys stood at 28%.

The report also found that girls were more likely to report low energy and sadness. Although the supplied findings do not provide specific percentages for these two experiences, their inclusion adds to the wider picture of differences in emotional well-being.

Anxiety and frustration can be part of everyday life for students, particularly when they face demanding situations or competing expectations. However, frequent experiences of these emotions may affect how comfortable students feel in their learning environment.

It is important to distinguish between reporting an emotion and receiving a clinical diagnosis. The survey records students’ own descriptions of how they feel. Its findings do not establish that students reporting anxiety or sadness have a Mental Health condition.

WHY HIGHER SCHOOL HAPPINESS DOES NOT TELL THE WHOLE STORY

One of the most interesting aspects of the survey is the contrast between school happiness and other measures of well-being. Around 62% of girls said they often or always felt happy at school, compared with 58% of boys.

This means girls reported higher levels of frequent school happiness despite recording lower figures for confidence, calmness and motivation. The difference illustrates that emotional well-being is made up of several dimensions rather than a single feeling.

A student can enjoy spending time at school, value friendships and appreciate the learning environment while still experiencing self-doubt, anxiety or frustration. Similarly, being happy at school does not automatically mean feeling confident about personal abilities or relaxed throughout the day.

For this reason, a single question about whether students enjoy school may not capture the full range of their experiences. Schools that rely only on general satisfaction or happiness measures could overlook difficulties that appear in other areas of emotional well-being.

The report’s findings underline the importance of examining different indicators together. Happiness, confidence, motivation and calmness provide different perspectives on how students experience school life.

WHAT THE FINDINGS MEAN FOR SCHOOLS

The differences identified in the report raise questions about how schools assess and support students’ emotional well-being. Academic performance, examination results, attendance and classroom participation remain important indicators of a student’s educational experience, but they do not necessarily reveal how students feel.

Schools may need to pay closer attention to students’ own accounts of confidence, motivation and emotional comfort. Regular opportunities for students to express their concerns and experiences can help educators understand aspects of school life that may not be visible through academic records.

The confidence figures are particularly relevant to how schools encourage participation and engagement. Students who rarely feel confident may need an environment in which they feel comfortable asking questions, making mistakes and expressing their views without unnecessary fear of judgement.

Similarly, the differences in calmness and anxiety suggest that emotional comfort deserves attention alongside academic expectations. Understanding what students find stressful or frustrating can provide a broader view of their experiences.

However, the survey does not prescribe a particular intervention or identify a single explanation for the differences. Its findings point to areas that deserve attention rather than establishing which measures would be most effective.

THE SURVEY DOES NOT IDENTIFY THE CAUSES

While the gender differences are visible in several measures, the report’s figures do not explain why they exist. The results reflect students’ self-reported experiences and should not be treated as proof that a particular social, academic or personal factor is responsible.

Social expectations, academic pressure and other influences may be relevant areas for further investigation. But the available findings do not establish a direct connection between any of these factors and the differences reported by students.

It would also be important to understand how experiences vary across age groups, schools and individual circumstances. The headline figures provide an overall comparison between girls and boys, but they do not show whether the same patterns are present across every student group.

Further research could help explain how different aspects of school life relate to confidence, motivation and emotional well-being. Until then, the findings are best understood as a snapshot of how the surveyed students described their experiences during the 2025-26 reporting period.

A BROADER UNDERSTANDING OF STUDENT WELL-BEING

The 2025-26 Student Well-being Pulse Report highlights an important distinction in students’ experiences: being happy at school does not necessarily mean feeling confident, motivated or emotionally settled.

Girls reported higher levels of frequent school happiness than boys, but the survey found lower levels of confidence, calmness and motivation among girls. It also recorded higher levels of frequent anxiety and frustration, alongside greater reports of low energy and sadness.

The finding that 22% of girls rarely or never feel confident, compared with 14% of boys, is particularly notable. It points to a difference that may remain hidden if student well-being is assessed only through academic performance or general satisfaction with school.

For educators and school administrators, the broader message is that students’ emotional experiences deserve attention as part of their overall educational environment. Understanding whether students feel confident, calm and motivated can provide a more complete picture of school life than happiness alone.

The survey does not offer a definitive explanation for the gender gap, but it identifies areas that warrant closer examination. Its findings reinforce the importance of listening to students and recognising that their well-being involves more than their performance in the classroom.