2026 Ethics Watch List: 5 issues from 2025 that can test you even in 2026

Check out our list of ethical issues of 2025 which may be probable case studies in 2026. (AI Generated Image)

The year 2025 was a year of many ethical issues, which took the form of debates and also tested the grounds of governance, justice, and individual morality. Most of these ethical issues will remain relevant even as we step into 2026. What the solutions to these problems will be, and how successful the strategies, if any, to address them will be, only time will tell. But some of them will definitely form potential case studies where your ethics will be tested.

The recent IndiGo crisis created by multiple factors in aviation breaks our slumber with a fundamental question: Who is a customer, and what is customer service in the aviation sector? Companies sometimes forget that the quality of service is driven in part by the behaviour of the service provider. Usually service providers fail because they do not realise that customer service is not lip service but ethics in action.

Will 2026 bring the customer-service provider relation in ethical prism?

Debates persist about regulating harmful online content without infringing on free expression — an ethical dilemma as digital platforms grapple with misinformation, harassment, and platform liability amid public scrutiny. While social media influencers, loved or hated, will continue to be the most-watched content creators, the debate is increasingly taking shape as a question of ethical case studies in 2026.

We should all be prepared to answer: Does being an influencer equate to ‘Free Thinking’ without the core values?

Climate and environmental challenges, including water security, air pollution, and resource depletion, highlight ethical duties toward sustainability and equitable access to natural resources for present and future generations. What may seem like a cliché topic is, in fact, the most important subject of discussion in 2025 and a major concern for 2026.

What should worry us is how prepared we are to address all climate-related issues in 2026.

When the news headlines reported that the Chief Manager of Bank of Baroda died by suicide, what it read in sub-texts was that an important ‘balance’ was missing from his life. A few months ago, when Infosys founder, Narayan Murthy talked about working seventy hours a week to fulfill the dream of a developed India, a debate erupted across the country about working hours. The chairman of Larsen & Toubro, SN Subrahmanyan, even said that if it were up to him, he would like to see his employees in the office even on Sundays—and not just for seventy hours, but for ninety hours a week. This debate has impacted the work-life balance of every employee who leaves for the office at 8 a.m. and returns home around 8 or 9 p.m.—a twelve-hour workday. And even at home, WhatsApp and phone calls keep him connected to the office.

Time to think: What is the link between work-life balance and work ethics?

India’s handling of stray dogs raises deep ethical questions about balancing public safety with humane treatment. Recent Supreme Court orders and debates around relocation, sterilisation, and shelter infrastructure highlight the dilemma between animal welfare principles and citizen safety concerns. As part of the larger debate on human-animal conflict, this issue will continue to test our ethical frameworks even in 2026.

Ponder ethically: Can compassion bridge the gap between humans and animals?

There are definitely ethical issues related to Artificial Intelligence, gender, deepfakes & misinformation, corruption, and much more. Prepare your list and share it with us. Let’s find answers to the topics on your ethics list in the UPSC Essentials special series, Ethics Simplified, in 2026. Please send your suggestions to manas.srivastava@indianexpress.com