Rave parties may be on the rise and gender,educational attainment and place of residence seem to influence the attitude of youth towards drinking but over two-thirds of India's young generation consider alcohol consumption to be unacceptable,according to a new book. "Indian Youth in a Transforming World: Attitudes and Perceptions" comprises a nationwide study based on face-to-face interviews with 5,000 youth to capture the popular mood of this important demographic segment of contemporary India. Authored by Peter Ronald DeSouza,Sanjay Kumar and Sandeep Shastri,the book records the perceptions of youth of various issues,ranging from modernity,development,globalisation and unemployment,to leisure and lifestyle,social networks and family,and their hopes and aspirations for the future. While this book,published by Sage,breaks some myths about them,on the one hand,it helps strengthen some commonly shared perceptions about them,on the other. The authors say that the leisure habits of the youth are linked to multiple factors. "As many as 64 per cent of the youth felt that alcohol consumption is not at all acceptable. One out of every 10 youth said that it is acceptable and 15 per cent felt that it is necessary to maintain one's place in social circles. Another 10 per cent did not express any opinion on the matter. "However,it is clear that alcohol consumption is by and large frowned upon by the youth. Gender,educational attainment and place of residence seem to have a great impact on the attitude of the youth towards drinking," it says. According to the authors,women seemed to be clearly more opposed to alcohol consumption than young men. "Nearly three-fourth of the women said that alcohol consumption is not acceptable to them while just over half the men felt the same way. Two out of every 10 young men said that drinking is necessary to maintain one's standing in social circles while only one out of every 10 women said the same. The difference between how young men and women viewed liquor consumption reduced significantly in metropolitan areas and among the educated. "Alcohol consumption appears to be more acceptable among the more educated. More than 20 per cent of professional degree holders said that it was acceptable. Further,nearly 20 per cent of the city youth felt that drinking is necessary to maintain ones status in society and one out of every six urban youth felt that is unacceptable," the book says. The most significant marker in explaining the attitude of the youth to drinking is their educational background. Those with access to education are increasingly convinced that alcohol consumption is necessary to maintain ones status in social circles. The book underlines that Indian youth reflect an authentic multiplicity of aspirations,'world views' and interest,quite like the rich tapestry of Indias diversity. It indicates that they are a mix of continuity with change. However,they stand distinct in many ways from the youth the world over. This book is also likely to break some myths related to the youth,opening avenues for new debates.
