CHICAGO — Next time your significant other reads a text message while sitting with you at a restaurant, tell him he's rude. And tell him he's like a typical American.

Those statements would likely be true, given the results of a recent Marquette University study that compared the texting habits of cell phone users in the world's two largest democracies — the U.S. and India.

In monitoring text messages from 137 college students in both countries, the study showed that India appeared to have better "textiquette." Researchers found that 52 percent of the Americans in the study read text messages while in public social settings such as restaurants, shops and movie theaters, compared to only 5 percent of Indian participants who read texts while out. Most Indians (41 percent) read texts while at home or at a friend's home.

Americans were also seven times more likely than Indians to send texts from social settings (42 percent vs. 6 percent); and almost eight times as likely to text while in the middle of a conversation (31 percent vs. 4 percent).

Still, Robert Shuter, the Marquette communication studies professor who led the study, cautioned not to be too down on American texters.

"The truth is, neither Indians nor Americans excused themselves or took leave when they read or sent a message. They're both at fault," he said.