The Cockroach Janta Get together (CJP) protests had been a momentous breakthrough in Indian politics. Via them, the appellation “Gen Z” has entered the on a regular basis lexicon. But a lot of the sympathetic commentary on the motion has positioned the Gen Z youth in a legendary, monolithic house. As a substitute of homogenising a whole era, cautious empirical assessments are the necessity of the hour. In any case, Gen Z youth are a staggering 400 million in India alone.
Whereas this era is now seen as a car of anti-ruling social gathering/ institution sentiments, within the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the Bharatiya Janata Get together (BJP) obtained 39% and 37% of the votes from these aged 18 to 25 years and 26-35 years respectively (CSDS-Lokniti post-poll survey). Crucially, these had been greater than the 35% votes obtained from these aged 56 and above. Equally, the Nationwide Democratic Alliance had a 46% vote share amongst 18-25 year-olds, however solely 41% amongst these aged above 56.
Thus, quite than seeing Gen Z youth as solely a uniform entity, you will need to perceive the divisions inside, and, additionally, the commonalities with different generations. In any case, the central actors of the anti-CAA (Citizenship (Modification) Act) and farmer protests had been the older generations.
Fractures inside
Even because the Gen Z youth have performed a essential function in social justice actions globally, resembling Black Lives Matter, survey information and research counsel necessary fractures inside the era, particularly concerning gender, class, race, and political ideology.
A Monetary Instances report exhibits that American and German girls (aged 18-30) are 30 share factors extra liberal than their male counterparts, whereas it’s 25% within the U.Ok. Comparable critical gender rifts have developed in South Korea, China, Tunisia, and so forth., triggered by actions resembling #MeToo. The advancing feminist motion has led to younger males feeling embattled, main to just about half of the American male youth complaining of reverse discrimination.
In a scholarly examine of 32 European international locations, it was discovered that there was no gender hole in political ideology amongst younger individuals in 14 nations; a secure gender hole in 7; and within the remaining 11 nations, there was a widening, the place girls had been both shifting left and males, proper, or girls had been shifting to the left quicker than males.
Attitudes in direction of democracy additionally differ inside Gen Z. Within the U.S., solely half of the eligible Gen Z voters voted within the 2024 presidential elections: the bottom turnout amongst age teams. Opposite to fashionable notions, the youth vote shifted considerably to U.S. President Donald Trump.
There are nonetheless vital ideological divergences inside Gen Z. Whereas 43% of Gen Z Republicans say that African People face discrimination in comparison with solely 20% of Gen X (1965-1980), Boomer (1946-1964), and Silent Technology (1928-1945) Republicans, it’s 82% amongst Gen Z Democrats, and that quantity is just marginally much less for older era Democrats (Pew Analysis 2018).
Furthermore, even because the commentariat euphoria has targeted on the individuality of Gen Z, there are areas the place Gen Z attitudes have matched different generations. Within the U.S., that is very true concerning the millennial era (1981-1996) who align with Gen Z on many points. Social media utilization and polarisation share amongst Gen Z was like these of different generations (Stanford College pupil survey), and there was virtually close to conformity throughout generations in regards to the positives of extra girls in politics.
There may be additionally a outstanding break up creating inside the Gen Z youth; there at the moment are divergences between Gen Z 1.0 (Ages 23-29) and Gen Z 2.0 (Ages 13-22). A Yale College youth ballot confirmed that ages 22-29 most well-liked Democratic candidates whereas ages 18-21 most well-liked Republican candidates within the 2026 congressional elections.
Whereas these world traits don’t precisely map onto India’s actuality, in India, too, not solely questions of gender, however attitudes of ‘higher caste’ Gen Z on caste equality and reservation, and Hindu Gen Z on non secular majoritarianism can be essential.
George Orwell had as soon as written that “Every era imagines itself to be extra clever than the one which went earlier than it, and wiser than the one which comes after it,” which he termed as an phantasm. To keep away from such illusions, we want extra fine-grained research on Indian Gen Z to know its composition in all its social complexity.
Nissim Mannathukkaren is with Dalhousie College, Canada
Printed – September 09, 2026 12:22 am IST
