DEEP DIVE INTO THE FINDINGS

YOUR VOICE MATTERS

KEY FINDINGS: STUDENTS’ STATE OF MIND

The pandemic has revealed deep inequalities in Indian society and students voice the need for equal access to opportunities, basics like education to be taken care of by the state.

Students today care about the inequality in society and 84% believe that basic necessities should be provided to all and 49% believe that everyone in India should have equal access.

Students are aware of the income gap and about two-fifths of students say that the wealthy should be taxed more.

WHICH STATEMENTS DO YOU AGREE WITH?

15% - Large corporations should receive relaxation for regulatory measures 21% - Less government regulation is required for the economy to grow 24% - Reservations in jobs and education are still needed 26% - India will benefit from privatisation of sectors such as education and health 38% - Around the world, the wealthy should be taxed more (progressive tax system) 49% - Everyone in India has equal access to opportunities since it is mentioned in the constitution 84% - Basic necessities such as healthcare and education should be provided to all irrespective of their or their family's employment status

INEQUALITY AND INCOME GAP

KEY FINDINGS: ANXIETIES

While the impact of COVID-19 and implications on mental health remain their biggest anxieties, students turn to music, movies and more to relax and de-stress.

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT MAKE YOU ANXIOUS ABOUT THE WORLD RIGHT NOW?

2% - Others 35% - Illiteracy 42% - Climate Change 48% - Violence 49% - Political/Economic Climate 52% - Inequality 56% - Job Prospects 60% - COVID-19

64% - Mental Health

ANXIETIES

More than two-thirds of students are anxious about mental health followed by COVID-19, job perspectives and inequality.

KEY FINDINGS: DE-STRESSORS

While the impact of COVID-19 and implications on mental health remain their biggest anxieties, students turn to music, movies and more to relax and de-stress.

WHAT ACTIVITY DO YOU ENGAGE IN TO RELAX?

2% - Others 22% - Socialize 32% - Exercise

47% - Read books 50% - Surf through social media 55% - Paint, sing, dance, cook, write, etc. 61% - Watch movies or TV shows 79% - Listen to music

DE-STRESSORS

To relax students listen to music, watch movies or TV shows, paint, sing, dance cook or write.

KEY FINDINGS: INTRINSIC MOTIVATIONS

Gen Z Indians are motivated by the desire to make the world a better place and aspire to study at a renowned university or work at a reputed company.

WHAT MOTIVATES YOU THE MOST?

11% - Activism on Social Media 14% - Movies, TV Shows, Music 15% - Books 23% - Aspiration to study at a renowned university/work for a reputed company 37% - The desire to make the world a better place

~11% of respondents are motivated through the power of social media and activism

~30% of respondents find books, movies, TV shows, music etc. not only as a medium to learn but also to unwind (as a source of entertainment)

~60% of respondents reflect a positive sentiment to change the world and to study at a renowned university or work at a reputed company. Potential linkages between being able access high quality education and being able to making the world a better place

QUALITATIVE INSIGHTS

Global pop culture influences are big. Here is a quote by an Indian student on the Korean music band BTS: “I aspire to become a renowned professional dancer! I watch and follow artists who do a lot of hard work, day and night. Korean boy band BTS really motivates me to put in more efforts than I usually do.”

KEY FINDINGS: VIEWS ON SDGs

High quality education, zero hunger & no poverty. SDGs that appeal to Indian students and are immediate goals to be achieved - ultimately to make a difference to the world. The majority of students (93%) think about sustainability. Students want universities to prepare them to make a difference in the world.

WHICH ONE OF THESE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS DO YOU THINK IS THE MOST IMMEDIATE GOAL TO BE ACHIEVED?

SDG 4 SDG 2 SDG 1 SDG 3 SDG 16 SDG 5 SDG 8 SDG 13 SDG 6 ~ 17% ~ 16% ~ 15% ~ 14% ~ 7% ~ 6% ~ 4.5%

- Quality Education - Zero Hunger - No Poverty - Good Health and Well-Being - Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions - Gender Equality - Decent Work and Economic Growth - Climate Action - Clean Water and Sanitation

~ 3.5% ~ 3% SDG 10 SDG 12 SDG 7 SDG 11 SDG 9 SDG 17 SDG 15 SDG 14 N/A ~ 3% ~ 2% ~ 1.5% ~ 1%

- Reduced Inequalities - Responsible Consumption and Production - Affordable and Clean Energy - Sustainable Cities and Communities - Industry Innovations and Infrastructure - Partnerships for the Goals - Life on Land - Life on Water - I don’t think much about sustainability

~ 1% ~ 1% ~ 1% ~ 1% ~ 2.5%

QUALITATIVE INSIGHTS

"People don’t have the freedom to study what they want! In a broad spectrum that is, and that would take a lot more to explain what I feel because what I feel is felt by millions and it can't be written down here! Why can’t I study a social science subject as an engineer? I am passionate about making a change." - Survey Respondent

KEY FINDINGS: POPULAR INSPIRATIONS

Malala and Modi emerge as larger than life inspirations, indicating students focus on passion and action. Course curriculum can imbibe elements that enable students to achieve their personal, societal goals along with action-oriented and practical learning.

WHO ARE SOME OF THE INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE YOU LOOK UP TO?

1. MALALA YOUSAFZAI

OVERALL RATING

FEMALES

MALES

2. NARENDRA MODI

OVERALL RATING

FEMALES

MALES

3. GRETA THUNBERG

OVERALL RATING

FEMALES

MALES

4. ALEXANDRIA CORTEZ

OVERALL RATING

FEMALES

MALES

5. MEDHA PATKAR

OVERALL RATING

FEMALES

MALES

6. ASHOK ROW KAVI

OVERALL RATING

FEMALES

MALES

~27%

~31%

~21%

~26%

~23%

~34%

~17%

~17%

~15%

~13%

~12%

~13%

~12%

~13%

~11%

~06%

~05%

~05%

KEY FINDINGS: HOW ARE LEADERS PERCEIVED?

USA, Canada, India and New Zealand’s leaders have improved their country’s reputation, but where the buck stops for students is favourable immigration policies.

WHICH LEADER BELOW YOU THINK ENHANCED THEIR COUNTRY REPUTATION THE MOST?

DO YOU THINK POLITICAL LEADERS CAN DAMAGE THE PERCEPTION OF HOW WELCOMING A COUNTRY IS TOWARDS IMMIGRANTS?

NPS - Net Promoter Score

Joe Biden Justin TrudeauNarendra Modi Jacinda Ardern Scott Morrison Boris Johnson Xi Jinping Donald Trump

+32% +18% +17% +16% +4% +2% -29% -37%

• ~90% students agree that leaders affect the perception of immigration. Leadership’s stance on immigration has been observed to directly affect students interest in the country. • Student perception for Joe Biden, Justin Trudeau, Narendra Modi, and Jacinda Ardern is highly positive (note that this is prior to US’s exit from Afghanistan - Joe Biden’s rankings may have changed now). • Negative perception towards leaders such as Xi Jinping and Donald Trump is primarily due to the geo-political, trade, economic factors that may have impacted India.

28%

28% - Agree strongly 61% - Agree

61% 61%

9% - Disagree

9% 1%

1% - Disagree strongly

Note: Students were asked to give positive, neutral, negative rating to each leader. Ratings were used to calculate Net Promoter Score (NPS) i.e. % of positive - % of negative. % of neutral is ignored.

KEY FINDINGS: KEY INFLUENCES

While political leaders and celebrities remain distant, Indian students look inward to shape their life’s outlook - with deepest influences being personal experiences, peer groups and family.

Three-quarters of participants cited personal experiences as the most important factor that influence their outlook towards life, followed by friends/social circle and family.

After personal experiences, female students skew more towards family, whereas male students skew more towards being influenced by peers and social circle.

Personal experiences, peers, family are geography-agnostic as influencing factors and apply across regions.

WHAT HAS INFLUENCED YOUR OUTLOOK ON LIFE THE MOST?

PERSONAL EXPERIENCES

*Percentage is higher than the sum parts by gender due to difference in sample size as some respondents did not specify their gender

KEY FINDINGS: FUTURE OUTLOOK

With the pandemic bringing student lives to a standstill, career growth is their most immediate focus, followed by the need to improve mental well-being.

WHAT WOULD YOU SAY IS YOUR IMMEDIATE FOCUS IN LIFE?

CAREER GROWTH

Career growth is the immediate focus for about two-fifths of participants, followed by the need to focus on mental health and their education.

Male students skew greater towards focusing on physical health as compared to their female peers.

KEY FINDINGS: IMPACT OF COVID-19

60% of students report a negative impact of COVID-19 on their studies leaving behind a glaring gap in holistic learning experiences.

Majority of positive students kept themselves engaged by picking up new skills and enrolling in online courses.

HOW HAS COVID-19 IMPACTED YOUR HIGHER EDUCATION PLANS?

How has the pandemic impacted your learning style? (in a positive manner)

~42% I learned new skills through online programmes

~33% I enrolled in more online courses which were beyond my programme

~10% I participated in an online internship

~8% I found online mentors to guide me

~7% It only negatively impacted my learning style

About three-fifths of students reported a negative impact of COVID-19 on higher education plans.

How has the pandemic impacted your learning style? (in a negative manner)

~5% I found online mentors to guide me

~8% I participated in an online internship

~13% I enrolled in more online courses which were beyond my programme

~14% I learned new skills through online programmes

~60% It only negatively impacted my learning style

42% 58%

KEY FINDINGS: PREFERRED SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS

A review into social media platforms that are clear winners as a preferred mode of outreach.

Instagram is the most popular social media platform used by 96% of respondents followed by Facebook, Snapchat, LinkedIn and Twitter.

Snapchat is the second most used platform by female students, whereas male students prefer using Facebook.

Facebook is the second most used media platform in Eastern and Northern India, Snapchat is the second most used platform in Southern and Western India.

WHICH SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS DO YOU USE?

INSTAGRAM POPULARITY

KEY FINDINGS: TECH & E-LEARNING PLATFORMS

A growing appetite for supplementing classroom learning with tech-savvy e-learning platforms.

WHICH PLATFORMS DO YOU USE TO SUPPLEMENT YOUR CLASSROOM LEARNING?

SUPPLEMENT CLASSROOM LEARNING

Unacademy (mainly used for grades 6-12 and for competitive entrance exams) is the most popular platform used by 1 in 3 students to supplement classroom learning.

LinkedIn (for on-demand courses) is the second most popular platform used by 1 in 4 students, followed by Coursera (driven by campus partnerships) and Udemy (for on-demand Courses).

These platform preferences are gender-agnostic and preferred by both male and female students.

KEY FINDINGS: EXPECTED COURSE OUTCOMES

Students with a refreshing take on education - pursuing a career of choice, building strong skills and making a difference as key expected outcomes.

RATE THE FOLLOWING COURSE OUTCOMES IN THE ORDER OF IMPORTANCE AND RELEVANCE TO YOU

COURSE OUTCOMES

Start a career in a field of your choice Develop foundational skills

Make a difference in the world

Study a field you are passionate about Explore different fields and find my 'sweet spot' Get a good credential for your CV Get a high paying job Network and make friends

ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL

60%

59%

56%

55%

48%

47%

45%

38%

EXPECTED BUT NOT IMPORTANT

34%

34%

34%

39%

42%

39%

45%

46%

NOT EXPECTED AND NOT IMPORTANT

6%

8%

10%

6%

10%

13%

11%

16%

93% OF STUDENTS THINK ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY IN THEIR EVERYDAY LIFE

17% - Quality Education 16% - Zero Hunger 16% - No Poverty

14% - Good Health and Well-Being 7% - Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

EXPECTATIONS

• A marked shift in students expectations from their undergraduate courses: focus on skill building, exploring and building a career of choice. • A strong desire expressed that Universities would help them in achieving sustainability goals. • As tangible course outcomes, students take a long-term view and choose starting a career of choice and developing foundational skills over getting a high-paid job.

KEY FINDINGS: TIME SPENT ON SOCIAL MEDIA

A ‘digital native’ generation spending 1-4+ hours on social media looking for news, learning, activism and more.

Apart from connecting with peers, social media has become a major source of credible news, as an avenue for learning and for garnering activism.

IN A DAY, ON AN AVERAGE, HOW MUCH TIME DO YOU SPEND ON SOCIAL MEDIA?

21%

18% 61%

• More than three-fifth of students spend 1-4 hours on an average in a day on social media platforms • About one-fifth of students spend more than 4 hours on an average in a day

1-4 hours 4+ hours Under 1 hour

WHAT DO YOU USE SOCIAL MEDIA FOR?

SOCIAL NEWS STUDYING

Instagram Facebook Snapchat LinkedIn Twitter Tumblr

31% 30% 30% 28% 28% 29% 24% 24% 24% 24% 25% 24% 18% 19% 17% 19% 18% 16%

ACTIVISM

14% 13% 15% 13% 15% 16%

PROMOTIONS

6% 7% 7% 7% 7% 8%

MARKETING ACHIEVEMENTS

7% 7% 7% 9% 7% 8%

KEY FINDINGS: NEWS SOURCES

Aside from social, digital, traditional media, family and friends are trusted ‘news sources’.

MOST CREDIBLE SOURCE OF NEWS

• Overall, social media is the most credible source of news for both male and female students followed by newspapers, digital news outlets, family and friends. • Of student participants who selected only 1 option, 70% cited social media as their primary source of news.

• After social media, female students relied more on digital media, whereas, male students relied more on family and friend sources. • After social media, students from Eastern and Northern India relied more on digital news outlets, whereas students from Southern and Western India skewed more towards family and friends.

WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR NEWS FROM?

KEY FINDINGS: PERSPECTIVE ON HIGHER ED

Indian students emphasise a pressing need for greater flexibility and personalisation in higher education.

PLEASE SHARE YOUR PERSPECTIVE ON THE CONTEMPORARY HIGHER EDUCATION SECTOR

STUDENT NEEDS

• Personalisation and greater flexibility is the most pressing need, followed by the need for more blended learning platforms (e.g. mix of online and offline learning methods). • Male students skew towards seeking a technological revamp as their second most pressing need, followed by the need for more blended learning platforms.

SANNAM S4 GROUP STORY

ORGANISATIONAL PROFILE

The name of the company comes from the “Sannam S4” red chilli which is grown in India and is an internationally acclaimed spice and a key ingredient of Indian cuisine and one of India’s largest exports. These attributes of being “international” and a “key ingredient for recipes” represented the ethos that the company’s co-founders Adrian Mutton and Kapil Dua wanted their business to represent.

In establishing Sannam S4 Group in 2008, they sought it to be the “go-to” firm for local success for ambitious international education and nonprofit organisations seeking to explore, enter and expand in the world’s dynamic markets.

Over the last decade, the company has supported over 350 organisations to foray and expand into dozens of new countries that meet their business aspirations. In doing so, Sannam S4 Group has developed robust partnerships with esteemed organisations globally, including U.S. International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, the UK Department for International Trade and Government Agencies in Australia, Canada, India, Ireland and New Zealand tasked with promoting the nonprofit agenda.

Sannam S4 Group has its presence in UK, Ireland, Europe, USA, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, UAE, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, China, Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal and India.