Our millennial attitudes are in uneven transition

A new Indian survey reveals that population pessimism persists while individualism scores more heavily among the younger lot. What’s clear is that openness to diversity needs a boost

India is a young country. What millennials think matters not just to marketers aiming their wares at this youth bulge, but anyone with an interest in their values and outlook. To that end, the findings of the latest Mint-YouGov-CPR biannual millennial survey are insightful. They show that population pessimism persists even among India’s young, individualistic attitudes within the context of family are stronger among the youngest lot, and social hang-ups vis-a-vis others are highest when it comes to those who identify as LGBTIQ+. It’s a picture of uneven progress, offering a window to a key demographic slice. The survey’s sample was 10,072 netizens across 200 cities, with 83% of respondents born after 1980. While 84% of them qualify as relatively well-to-do under a criteria checklist of durables owned and education level of the household’s main wage earner, 45% of those who earn and revealed their income make less than ₹30,000 a month, so the sample represents more of India than an elite.