93% Of Indian Students Willing To Take Action To Raise Awareness About Global Issues: Reports

Young people in India are proactively taking action to tackle global issues, and say they want to pursue careers where they can make a difference, according to new research from Cambridge International Assessment Education.

Over 11,000 students globally, aged 13 to 19 took part in Cambridge International’s first ever Global Perspectives survey and shared their views on global issues; how they learn about them; and how their awareness of these issues might impact on their future career choices. Out of these 11,000 students, around 2000 respondents are from India.

The poll revealed there is a clear desire from students to learn about global issues in school, with 97 per cent of Indian students agreeing that it is important to do so. This percentage is slightly above the global average which is 96 per cent. 95 per cent students surveyed in India also agree that it is important to discuss global issues at school. However, 23 per cent of students surveyed in India say they don’t learn about global issues in school despite wanting to.

26 per cent of Indian students aged 13-19 say that climate change is the single biggest issue facing the world today. Pollution is viewed as the second biggest global issue by Indian students and poverty and economic equality came third in the poll. Even globally, a quarter (26 per cent) of all the students who responded to the survey said they felt climate change was the biggest issue facing the world today. It topped the poll in three quarters of countries surveyed. Two thirds of those surveyed, said they believe major issues, like climate change and poverty and economic equality, will be worse by 2030.

45 per cent of students surveyed said they would like to pursue a career where they can make a positive contribution to solving global issues. Further, 78 per cent will consider what potential employers’ attitudes are to key global issues when applying for jobs in the future.

93 per cent of Indian students said they take some form of action to raise awareness of global issues. In particular, 55 per cent of students surveyed in India said they would share knowledge with family and friends in order to raise awareness.

Mahesh Srivastava, Regional Director, South Asia, Cambridge International said, “In a world that is constantly evolving with some huge global challenges ahead, we feel that it is even more important that students not only engage with key global issues, but develop the skills to research, discuss and evaluate the facts, and work with others to understand different perspectives around the world. It is important that they develop transferable skills and are aware about interdependence, globalization, cultural diversity, global issues and sustainable future to be able to succeed in life."

Students around the world are motivated to make a difference and help tackle these issues. 92 per cent said they take individual action to tackle their top issue of concern and four out of five students globally said they are keen to pursue a career where they can make a difference.

The survey was conducted leading up to Cambridge Global Perspectives Week, which runs from 1-7 March 2020.