Our millennial attitudes are in uneven transition

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₹30,000 a month, so the sample represents more of India than an elite. What’s new this round are responses to India becoming the world’s most populous nation. Millennials are not convinced of this as an opportunity to drive economic growth.

As many as 33% are concerned about our large population as a problem, while only 26% are confident of our much-touted demographic advantage, with 40% neutral. This also reflects in how they feel about India being tagged No. 1: 26% are embarrassed, 43% neutral and only 31% proud.

To be sure, 49% of urban Indians believe our people can yet be turned into an asset. Investing in better education and factory jobs is seen as the best way to achieve high growth like China, a country viewed as having fared better on population control, job creation and poverty reduction, but not on governance (among other things). Overall, millennial views seem inflected by the anxiety of older folks for whom family planning was a vital national mission.

Today, India’s replacement rate is found to have dipped below the 2.1 children per woman level that keeps a population stable. This implies India’s population will not grow beyond a point, even if takes time to show up in census counts. Indian millennials also mark a big departure from previous generations on social institutions.

Take family. Although 55% of married and 42% of single pre-millennials (born before 1981) view marriage as important, this support declines among millennials (born 1981-1996) and further among post-millennials (born after 1996) to 35% and 38%, respectively. Also, while 49% consider it a duty of children to live with and care for ageing parents, 28% favour the idea of parents being independent for children to lead their own lives, and