Research

Yuva Nagarik Meter - Measures Democratic Citizenship Values and Attitudes in India

CMCA has endeavoured to nurture democratic citizenship values among school children since the year 2000. After nearly a decade of experience working with thousands of high school children across India, CMCA felt the need for a credible and comprehensive benchmark study that would tell educators, governments, and civil society about the attitudes of young people in India towards democracy and citizenship. We thus conducted the Yuva Nagarik Meter (YNM), CMCA’s pioneering national benchmark study to establish a baseline of democratic citizenship values and attitudes of youth in urban India.

CMCA’s Pioneering National Benchmark Study, 2014 Established a Baseline of Democratic Citizenship Values and Attitudes of Youth in Urban India

11

state capitals surveyed

6600

school students across 330 schools surveyed

4400

college students across 220 colleges surveyed

In our ever-evolving democracy, there’s an ongoing valuable opportunity to collect reliable empirical data and gain insights on what exactly our youth are thinking on critical aspects of democracy and what values they are growing up with to evolve as humane and active citizens.

The Yuva Nagarik Meter (YNM) marked a significant step in gathering reliable data on the levels of knowledge, comprehension, attitudes and values of young Indians pertaining to democratic citizenship. 

In this study, we spoke to high school and college students across a cross-section of Indian schools and colleges covering 11 different state capitals in India, different economic classes, a variety of subject specialisations, and more and asked them to respond to a series of statements that indicated to us what their attitudes are. With the Yuva Nagarik Meter, CMCA strove to foster constructive discussions within our society and spark public debates and deliberations that would ultimately lead to impactful and transformative policy actions.

Six Areas of the YNM Study and Example Findings

The Yuva Nagarik Meter (YNM) sought to provide insights into society at large and tell us what the Young Indian understands, and what values and attitudes they possess, regarding certain groups of issues relating to democratic citizenship. Below are the six areas we cover, and examples of responses.

Rights and Responsibilities

35% of high school students consider themselves as citizens of India

Democratic Governance

74% of high school students and 75% of college students do not know that the legislature is responsible for enacting laws

Adherence to Civic Rules

51% of high school and college students agreed that it is difficult to follow rules when others are violating the same

Gender Equality

51% of high school and college students agreed that the main role of women is to take care of the household and bring up their children

Diversity and Social Justice

50% of college students expressed intolerance regarding migrant workers from other states

Environmental Conservation

81% feel it is “important” that people must reduce wastage of water

YNM Observations on Democratic Citizenship Values

After the responses from the young school and college students were recorded, CMCA analysed these responses. The aim of this was to understand not only what attitudes are held by the youth, but also what the roots of these attitudes might be. Here are some observations:

  • The study highlighted young people’s need to deepen their understanding of democracy as a principle
  • The fact that educated young people are influenced by cultural values from their social context is evident when they endorse negative ideas related to gender, caste, and peaceful coexistence among communities, and express a growing disconnect from the working class
  • The fact that stereotypical values and attitudes prevail among young people is represented in their ideas related to women’s rights and their attitude towards violence
  • Home and educational institutional cultures, parental influence, and certain cultural dynamics that promote hierarchy, discrimination, and lack of inclusivity seem to mark students more significantly than other factors

Utilization of the Research Findings

Our research findings were used by us in multiple ways. One important application of our research is that it helped shape our curriculum by showing us areas of improvement in which to target our modules and activities. When students are seen to have negative attitudes towards migrant workers, for example, we can include a segment on migration and social inclusivity in our curriculum.

Read About Our Policy Advocacy Efforts Here

Yuva Nagarik Meter (YNM) Study Methodology

The field research was conducted between March and September 2014 across 11 state capitals by Social Research Institute, IMRB. The study combines quantitative and qualitative research methods and consists of a questionnaire including multiple choice items and rating scales to be administered in a classroom setting. The quantitative component focuses on three groups of participants. Group one comprises of students who are about to complete 9th grade (approx. 15 years of age) and group two comprises of students who have attained legal citizenship and pursuing first year of under graduate courses (approx. 18‐19 years of age). The coverage of group one is also intended to serve as the baseline for assessing impact of CMCA’s own civic education initiatives. By focusing on two age groups, the study aims to capture not only the cumulative effects of civic curricula taught at primary, middle, secondary, and senior secondary levels of schooling in the country, but also the effects of political socialization on through developmental stages of childhood and adolescence. Group three comprises of sample of social science teachers from schools aimed at assessing the effects of teacher behaviours and classroom/school environment on student’s citizenship attributes, and also the challenges faced by the teaching community in imparting civic learning.

The qualitative component comprised of 30 Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with high school and college students across a subsamples of 5 cities intended both for validation of quantitative data and for triangulation purposes.

Research Objectives & Questions

The research objectives and questions are not only guided by empirical literature but also by the vision of Citizenship envisaged in the Indian Constitution, the educational aim articulated by the National Curriculum Framework 2005, and the integrated construct of active citizenship developed as part of the study.

  • Study jointly conducted by CMCA and its field partner, Social Research Institute, Indian Market Research Bureau (IMRB)
  • 11 State capitals & surrounding villages
  • Sample size of 10542
    • High School (14 years) – 6168 students from 330 urban high schools across boards
    • College students (19 years) – 4374 from 220 colleges across various streams
  • Social Science teachers ‐ 660 from 330 high schools
  • CMCA alumni (14 years) – 600 students from 26 CMCA member schools in Bangalore & Mumbai
  • Quantitative and qualitative research methods:
    • Multiple choice questionnaire in a classroom setting
    • 30 Focus group discussions across 5 cities for validation of quantitative data

The YNM study is guided by a panel of eminent experts in the field of education, behavioural sciences, sociology and anthropology.

Dr. A.R .Vasavi: Dr. Vasavi is a Social Anthropologist and has worked at the National Institute of Advanced Studies Bangalore for 14 years. She has authored several books. She is currently a Senior Fellow at the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, New Delhi. Dr. Vasavi has been awarded the prestigious INFOSYS Prize 2013 for Social Anthropology and Sociology.

Dr. Achala Alva: Dr. Achala is a Child and Adolescent Psychologist with doctoral degree in Psychology. She has decades of teaching and research experience in child and pre-adolescent psychology, child guidance and counselling, and experimental psychology. She also served as member/Chairperson of Board of Studies in Psychology as well as Board of Examiners for several universities.

Dr. M.S. Tara: Dr. Tara has a Doctoral Degree in Community Nutrition with decades of professional experience with national and international organizations in capacity development and evaluation research in the area of child protection, child development, and gender sensitization. She is currently the Regional Director of National Institute of Public Policy and Child Development, Bangalore.

Dr. Amman Madan: Dr Madan has a Masters Degree in Anthropology and also an M.Phil and a Ph.D. He has worked at several reputed institutions including the Academic Staff College at JNU, Eklavya, IIT Kanpur and TISS. He is currently teaching at the Azim Premji University in Bangalore. He is associated with several NGOs including Eklavya, Pragat Shikshan Sansthan, Digantar, etc.

Mr. Alex M. George: An Educational Researcher with a Masters Degree in Sociology and a second Masters Degree in Sociology of Law. He has worked and been associated with Eklavya, CSDS – Lokniti, TISS, Kanavu Wayanad, SECMOL, Azim Premji Foundation. He has contributed to the development of social science textbooks for Rajasthan, Ladakh, NCERT, Kerala, and AP.

Dr. K.S. Roopa Jayaprakash: Dr. Roopa has a Master of Science Degree and a Doctoral Degree specializing in Child Development. She is a member of various national and international organizations. She is currently Professor and Head of the Department of Human Development and Research Centre at Smt. V.H.D. Central Institute of Home Science, Bangalore.

Mrs. Vijayalakshmi Parthasarathy: Mrs. Vijayalakshmi has a rich experience of 23 years of teaching History and Civics. She has handled several UN activities on topics such as Peace, Environment, Gender bias, Human Rights.She was one of the 5 teachers chosen from India to participate in International Educators Conference in Japan in 2000.

Mr. M. Vivekananda: Mr. Vivekananda has a Master’s Degree in Economics and another in Statistics. He has four decades of experience in research project activities and has worked on research projects sponsored by international organizations like World Bank, DFID, UNICEF, UNDP, Ford Foundation and JBIC. He has also worked on projects sponsored by NABARD, HUDCO, KPTCL, Ministries of Government of India and Departments of Government of Karnataka. He has taught Research methodology, Econometrics and Statistics to PhD and MBA students, and college lecturers.

Dr. Manjunath Sadashiva: Dr Sadashiva co-founded CMCA Civic Club programme in the year 2000 and was its full-time Director between 2011 and 2015. He has a Doctorate Degree in politics, a Master’s Degree in Psychology and a postgraduate Diploma in Urban Management and Local Economic Development. He has worked with organisations such as Public Affairs Centre, BOSCO, Samwada, and CIVICUS and as visiting faculty at the Institute of Housing and Urban Development in Rotterdam. He currently is a consultant for Outcome Evaluation at CMCA and continues to guide and advise us in his capacity as Co-founder.

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