The survey, ‘The Changing Childhood Project’ was conducted across 12 countries, including India by UNICEF and GALLUP. It was released ahead of world children’s day on November 20, 2021. It shows that 57 per cent of surveyed people aged 15 and 24 years and 45 per cent of people above 40 years in India feel that education is the biggest determinant of success.

Facts and figures revealed by the survey

• Nearly 78 per cent of women respondents above 40 years of age from India feel that education for children today is better than it was for their parents, compared to 72 per cent of older men.
• 59 per cent of girls aged between 15 and 24 years are more convinced than others that education plays a role in success.
• 67 per cent of girls feel that digital technology has helped children in education compared to 59 per cent of boys.

Survey findings from India

• The survey finds from India also show some perception gaps between younger and older respondents.
• 71 per cent of older people believe that children will be economically better off than their parents compared to 66 per cent for younger children.
• According to the report, 57 per cent of young people in India use the internet daily compared to 27 per cent of older people.
• 55 per cent of younger people in India have heard of climate change compared to 42 per cent of older people. The biggest overall gap was across 21 countries.
• The younger generation is much more likely to blame companies for climate change.
• Respondents in India have the second biggest generation gap in saying it is acceptable for 57 per cent of younger parents and 47 per cent of older parents to physically punish a child.
• India also shares the second-highest share of young people who believe it is OK for teachers to physically punish children, a practice which should normally be unacceptable.
• Respondents from both sides agree on some issues. India is the only country where the majority of young people and older people believe their country would be safer if it worked more on its own.
• India also has very low numbers of young and older people who identify with being part of the world.
• India has the second-lowest percentage of young people among 21 countries who feel they identify most with being a part of the world.
• The report said that nearly 73 per cent of young Indian respondents between 15-24 years of age believe that the quality of education has become better now than it was in the past.
• The survey also found that 65 per cent of young respondents from India believe that it is very important for politicians to listen to children’s voices.

About the survey ‘The Changing Childhood Project’

The survey involved more than 21,000 people aged 15 to 24 years and 40 years and above in 21 countries, including India.

The 1500 respondents from India were surveyed before the second deadly wave of Covid-19 this year.

UNICEF said in the survey that it is heartening to see the optimism and value attached to education in India. Clearly, women and girls see a greater value in education, given the tremendous progress that India has made in girls’ education over the past decades.

On world children’s day, children from across the country will present a charter of their demands for the safe reopening of schools and learning recovery in a session with Indian Members of Parliament.

This is part of a week-long child rights week observed by UNICEF and partners from National Children’s day on November 14, 2021, to World Children’s day on November 20, 2021, to raise awareness for millions of children who have missed out on their right to education and right to education and to call for urgent support to learning recovery.

Conclusion on the survey

The survey found that besides education, young Indians are also optimistic about their future when it comes to physical safety and economic progress.

For example, 64 per cent of young people and 15-24 in India are likely to believe that the world is becoming a better place.

This was higher than the average across 21 countries, which was 57 per cent. In addition, 70 per cent of young people from India believe that physical safety has become better over the past generation.