understanding the youth of today

Understanding the youth of today

The common bond between the Madonna generation and the Pink Floyd one is the latter's

line - "We don't need no thought control".

The youth of today is…

As comfortable with mithai as with McDonald's, with pai lagoo as with playing pool.

They are the conservative

explorers

And they are a ‘happy lot’

44.5% of the youth believe that their parents make them happy, followed by

friends and partners.

Being happy and achieving success are the most

important in life.

- Hindustan Times Youth Survey, 2011

They are redefining their relationship with my parents

My parents are my friends

And they are not afraid to embrace their culture

‘Go Desi’ is the new slogan

They are moving beyond their lineage…

The youth today is exploring new avenues and spaces. From personal choices to professional

decisions, they are moving beyond the traditional strong hold ties.

And this is visible in their choice of role models

Role models

The top three role models amongst the youth are Sachin Tendulkar, A P J Abdul Kalam

and Shahrukh Khan.

These are all the outsiders taming unfamiliar terrain who

started from scratch and blazed a fresh trail.

-Hindustan Times Youth Survey, 2011

Their job expectations include an opportunity to experiment with new

skills, followed by an interesting workplace.

From Mumbai, nearly 64 % the students from the age of 12 -18 want to become reporters, advertisers, TV anchors and

even radio jockeys.

- Hindustan Times Youth Survey, 2011

To experiment with unconventional career options

Schools and colleges have moved beyond the class room

to offer a variety of courses range from Pet Care and

entrepreneurship, nature photography, organic

gardening , social entrepreneurship, art

appreciation courses etc.

The 6 subject curriculum is passé

Rising aspirations of the small towns

The young in Kolkata and Kochi are more money minded than

their counterparts in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore.

Kolkata (77 %) has the highest number of students using

internet.

74% students from mini-metros want to go abroad as compared

to 66% in metros.

-Hindustan Times Youth Survey, 2011

Youngsters in small towns are more open to pre marital sex as compared to their counter parts in the top five cities. 9 out of 10 women in the age group of

18 -21 in Indore said they had premarital sex.

With respect to drugs, 37% males and 32% females in Bhubaneswar want marijuana legalised. This is in sharp contrast to 85% Mumbaites who want it

banned across India.

The youth is not rebellious

For 80% of the youth the definition of adventure is fun and exciting as opposed to 18% for whom it is risky and dangerous.

90% of the youth does not drink while about 87% do not smoke. Approximately 45% believes that Marijuana should be banned.

- TGI survey 2009

They've employed tact instead of tantrum, deftly weaving their way around tradition.

They are individualistic

and opinionated

Because they are not

ignorant

More than 50% of youth read newspapers for 15 minutes.

They are aware of the about the multi-faceted problems lurking in India and believe in contributing to the society.

They are the new age social entrepreneurs

Several entrepreneurs like Manoj Kumar Mandelia who devised a solution to deal with wastewater management and producing electricity, Sweta Mangal

who established Dial L For Life or Rajnish Jain who supplies cooking gas extracted from pine needles to people in Uttarakhand have emerged in various

parts of India.

This has encouraged programmes such as Change Loom, Freedom of expression movement which encourage and support social action by young

people across India.

Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFep91wW-Rk

This generation wants to strike it rich and strike it fast

But its important what their family perceives and thinks of what they are doing.

-TGI survey 2009

They are the responsible hedonists

Thank you