With my more than 2 decades of experience, I have understood that the “youth”
can not be boxed as one category of age group; though in every survey across
this nation the agencies generalize the youth and try to portray a single opinion/
statement! As I have mentioned way back
in 2009, the youth in India has 3 distinct psychographic segments ( mind-sets) with
unique mind-sets and AIO (Attitude, Interest and Opinion) of every segment. In
this survey the agencies covered 19 states (Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar,
Chhattisgarh,Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya
Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar
Pradesh and West Bengal) though they have not mentioned the cities/ villages
they have surveyed or the proportion of youth from villages, SEC II cities and
SEC I cities. It is interesting to note that the study divided youth on the
basis of their caste (Upper Caste
youth, Dalit and Adivasi youth) rather than
their mind-set! These further exhibits that the agencies are keen to stereotype
the youth over and over again on caste which further complicates the
socio-political situation of this nation.
Below is a brief of the report as published in The Hindu:
Indian youth are certainly becoming more modern in their appearance and
consumption habits, “but their thoughts and views reflect a troubling
inclination towards intolerance and conservatism”, says a national survey of their attitudes, anxieties
and aspirations, released in New Delhi on Monday.
The survey, jointly conducted by the Centre for the Study of Developing
Societies, Konrad Adenauer Stiftung and Lokniti, covered 6,122 respondents in
the age group of 15-34.
It was carried out in April-May 2016 in 19 States. This is the second such survey. The first one was conducted in 2007. Among the respondents, 49% were in favour of death penalty, while only
33% felt that it should be abolished. An overwhelming 60%, cutting across religions, believed that films which
hurt religious sentiments should be banned, with only 23% opposed to such bans.
Beef eating
On the lately contentious subject of beef consumption, 46% disagreed
with the liberal sentiment that “consumption of beef is part of personal eating
habits and nobody should have an objection”, while only 36% agreed with it.
However, 40% of non-vegetarian Hindu youth and 90% of Left supporters
had no problem with beef consumption. At the same time, the survey also found
the majority of Indian youth (58%) to be non-vegetarian, while 30% and 9%
described themselves as pure vegetarians and “eggitarians” respectively.
The illiberal orientation was further underscored in the domain of interpersonal
relations, with 67% of the youth opposed to live-in relationships. On the
question of inter-religious marriages, 45% were opposed to them, while only 28%
were in support. The majority of the respondents (51%) agreed with the
proposition that “wives should always listen to their husbands”. Also, 41%
agreed that it is not right for women to work after marriage. While 53% were
opposed to dating before marriage, 40% disapproved of Valentine’s Day
celebrations. A fairly high proportion of young women respondents also held
such conservative views, the report said.
Marriage and caste
While acceptance for the idea of inter-caste marriage had risen, from
31% in 2007 to 55% in 2016, the reported incidence of inter-caste marriages
among respondents was only 4%. Over 84% of the married youth had had an
arranged marriage, compared to the 6% that reported a love marriage. While
one-third of those with a love marriage had married outside their caste, 97% of
arranged marriages were found to be within caste. Arranged marriage was also
the preference among the unmarried, with 50% saying they would like their
parents to take the decision regarding their life partner. Only 12% expressed a
preference for love marriage.
The survey also found Indian youth to be quite religious, with 78% of
the respondents stating that they prayed often, while 68% reported going to a
place of religious worship frequently.
Modern values such as gender equality did not seem to have much
purchase.
The survey also found strong support for existing quota for SC-ST and
OBCs in government jobs, with 48% in favour and 26% against.
The full report can be read here:
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