Politics

Executive Summary of the Report

The executive summary of the findings of this youth study are presented below.   The report indicates that in significant ways the youth in India mirror continuity with change. On significant parameters they think very much like the older generations. In many other critical areas, they have chosen to tread a different path. The study has also found that the youth in India mirror many of the goals, aspirations and attitudes of youth across the world. The study also reports that in select areas the attitude and choices of the Indian youth vary significantly from those of the younger generation the world over.   The study has been divided into six thematic chapters and each section below report the major findings of the seven chapters.
Trust and Circles of Belonging
Youth appeared to voice the flavour of the changing times in terms of their levels of inter-personal social trust and circles of belonging even while reflecting the ‘social environment’ that shapes the reality and the times that they live in.   In social interactions that they nurture and nourish, Indian youth have pushed traditional boundaries. The youth demonstrate a moderate level of inter-personal trust in those they interact with. The intensity of trust is significantly higher among those who are part of their ‘immediate social circle’.   Youth reported limited experience of being discriminated against. Critical differences in trends are produced by three important variables— access to higher education, improved socio-economic status and exposure to urban life. These cause important and significant variations in the nature of social transactions that the Indian youth are exposed to and are a part of.
Family and Social   Networks
The study developed an Index of Parental Authority and Index of Family Values to understand   what influences the way youth think and act in their personal and social domains. The nature of parental authority is both a by-product of a set...