In the method for driving a plasma display device, the plasma display panel are applied with voltage through the following process. In the first address period where an address discharge is generated on the scan electrodes that belong to the first scan electrode group, the third switching element is turned OFF so as to give a different value of reference voltage between the first and the second scan electrode driving sections. In the second address period where an address discharge is generated on the scan electrodes that belong to the second scan electrode group, the third switching element is turned ON so as to give a same value of reference voltage between the first and the second scan electrode driving sections. In the sustain period where sustain pulses are applied to a plurality of scan electrodes to generate a sustain discharge in the discharge cells, the third switching element is turned ON.