In charts: Young Indians are patriotic and progressive, but politically disengaged

While young Indians overwhelmingly identify as Indians over other forms of identity such as religious or regional, support liberal values, and participate in the electoral process, they shy away from engaging in political activities or associating themselves with a political party, showed an online survey Voices for Inclusion, Belonging and Empowerment (VIBE), conducted by Youth Ki Awaaz in collaboration with Young Leaders for Active Citizenship (YLAC), Synergy Sansthan, and Project Potential.

The survey, which was conducted between June and August 2024 and had 4,972 responses, released on Tuesday, showed that 81% of young Indians identified themselves as ‘Indians’. Those who identified themselves as individuals or by their occupation or work status featured in the top three identity associations, but their share was limited to roughly one-third. However, about one in five young Indians also identified themselves by their religion, sect, tribe or caste.

A state-wise categorization shows that beyond nationality, the strongest secondary identity based on religion, sect or tribe is most prominent in states like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, and Chhattisgarh. Kerala stands out with the state/region being its most prominent identity after nationality and Punjab by gender.

Since the survey was conducted online, it may have underrepresented the population with little or no online engagement.

Progressive values

When it comes to basic rights and entitlements, young Indians tilt towards progressive values and strongly support women’s right to travel freely and meet in public places. The support for free expression of opinions, even when those contradict what many in the country may believe, is equally strong. 

Even as same-sex love has been decriminalized in India, it remains a controversial subject. However, only 18% of young Indians are opposed to the idea that people should be free to love anyone, irrespective of their gender. 

When it comes to social justice, nearly two-thirds are in favour of the rich paying more taxes to reduce poverty in the country.

The survey noted that these sentiments align with a broader commitment to human rights, inclusivity, empowering marginalized groups, supporting open discourse, and addressing systemic inequalities. The responses, however, were different for respecting those with higher social status, with 54% disagreeing. This underscored a strong tendency among the young to challenge social norms based on the hierarchy of status.

Political paradox

India is well known for its exuberant participation in the voting process during polls, with the 2024 General Elections witnessing nearly 66% voter turnout. In the world’s largest democracy, the share of young Indians who participated or intended to participate in the Lok Sabha polls was 86%, according to the survey. 

Despite the massive engagement with the voting process and a keen interest in election results and political discourse, young Indians do not prefer to engage in politics and associate themselves with a political party. The survey showed that 29% of respondents do not prefer to engage in politics, and 26% engage in politics without formally associating with a party. This attitude may stem from disillusionment, a perception of inefficiency and mistrust in the political system. A few Indians (16%) endorse political parties but do not become members, while only 10% choose to become members.

Activism as an alternative

While young Indians display little interest in becoming a part of the political system in India beyond voting, citizen activism finds greater engagement. The survey shows that 46% of the respondents have collaborated with others to address local problems like conservation and clean-up drives. About one in four Indians also participated in activism by drafting or signing petitions through rallies and marches and supporting fundraising events for social causes.

Several Indians also participated through other activities like using t-shirts or cups to express their opinions (15%), reporting a crime to the police (11%) and filing a complaint against the authority (9%). 

The Right to Information, a powerful tool to ensure transparency and accountability in the government, however, was used by only 8% of the respondents. Only 12% of the respondents said they had not engaged in any of these activities. 

While young people are engaging through advocacy groups, non-profit government organizations, social movements and the internet, they also face significant barriers such as economic disparity, educational inequalities and limited access to resources.