

In charts: Young Indians are patriotic and progressive, but politically disengaged
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. NEW DELHI : India is one of the youngest countries in the world, with 27.3% of its population aged 15–29 years, which is considered the “youth". The young population is viewed as the key to unlocking a country’s identity, social inclusion and rights, and political activism.
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.
Read on livemint.com