NEW DELHI - An overwhelming majority of Indians prefer marriages arranged by family members instead of "love matches", a survey showed Wednesday, despite rapid social change in the country over recent decades.

A total of 74 per cent of respondents from across India voted in favour of traditional "arranged" marriages, according to the poll by private television channel NDTV.

The channel commissioned Ipsos, a market research agency, to conduct a field survey of 30,000 people of all ages across 18 states.

Parents in India often choose husbands or wives for their children, although the trend for "love marriages" has grown during India's economic transformation.

The survey also found 89 per cent of Indians preferred living in an extended family set-up rather than a "nuclear" family comprising only parents and children.