A small sample of students studying International Relations in South India was surveyed over the weekend to get their opinion on the November 5, 2024 US presidential election. This piece summarizes the results of the survey and provides insight into the perspective of Indian Generation Z, a section of the largest, potentially most impactful generation in the world.
When asked which candidate in the US presidential elections would be better for India, 63.6% of survey respondents chose Kamala Harris over Donald Trump. Additionally, respondents were asked to rank priority areas of cooperation between the US and India, choosing among climate change, defense technology, the Indo-Pacific, the economy and multilateral institutional reform. The results present a variety of perspectives, with most students choosing the economy as a top priority for cooperation between the two countries, followed by the Indo-Pacific, defense tech, climate change and multilateral institutional reform.
The students were then asked to rank the order of their concerns about the current state of the world, choosing between the war in Ukraine, economic protectionism, the conflict dynamics of West Asia/the Middle East, immigration and the rise of China. The results showed that respondents considered immigration to be a top concern regarding the current state of the world, followed by China’s rise, economic protectionism, the conflicts in West Asia/the Middle East and lastly, the war in Ukraine.
The results of the survey indicate the key priorities of Gen Z international relations students in India, showcasing that they are primarily concerned with the state of the global economy, immigration and overall stability. Their choice of the economy and the Indo-Pacific being crucial areas of cooperation between India and the US indicate that Gen Z students potentially connect a Kamala Harris win in the US presidential elections to these areas receiving attention for bilateral cooperation.
By Riddhi Likhe, M.A. Candidate in International Affairs, Research Assistant, Rising Powers Initiative (RPI), Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University. Survey is part of a project with Christ University, Bangalore.
