Evaluate the impact of globalization on Indian youths with reference to social, political, economic and cultural spheres.
Approach · directive: “evaluate”
What it asks · Assess the positive and negative effects of globalisation on young Indians across the four named spheres and give an overall judgement.
The question has 5 parts — answer each
- Evaluate: economic impact on youth — gains and costs
- Evaluate: social impact — gains and costs
- Evaluate: political impact — gains and costs
- Evaluate: cultural impact — gains and costs
- Give an overall judgement
Open with · With one of the world's largest youth populations, India's young people are both the main beneficiaries and the most exposed to globalisation.
Cover
- Economic (+): IT, services and start-up jobs, global mobility for study and work, and the gig economy.
- Economic (−): job insecurity, informal gig work without social security, automation risk and widening skill gaps.
- Social: more individual choice in careers and marriage, changing gender norms, nuclear families; also stress and loneliness.
- Political: exposure to global causes (climate, rights), digital activism and new forms of participation; risk of polarisation and misinformation.
- Cultural (+): hybrid 'glocal' culture, global reach of Indian music, cinema, yoga and cuisine.
- Cultural (−): consumerism, erosion of regional languages and traditions, and pressure towards homogenised lifestyles.
Close with · Globalisation has widened young Indians' horizons; skills, social security and cultural confidence decide whether they gain or lose.
Add value (verified)
- MoSPI, Youth in India 2022: youth aged 15–29 were 27.2% of the population in 2021, projected to fall to 22.7% by 2036 (still about 345 million). Youth in India 2022 — National Statistical Office, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation ↗“youth in the age group of 15-29 years comprise 27.2% of the population for year 2021 which is expected to decrease to 22.7 by 2036”
Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2026, GS Paper I — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·
Model answer · 310 words (UPSC limit 250) · Minimalist IAS
Youth aged 15–29 were 27.2% of India's population in 2021 (MoSPI, Youth in India 2022) — the first generation to grow up entirely after the 1991 reforms. Globalisation has been both their opportunity and their pressure in every sphere.
Economic
- Gains: IT, business services, start-ups and global capability centres created careers unknown to their parents; study and work abroad, remittances and the gig economy widened options.
- Costs: growth has been jobless for many — gig work without social security, contractual jobs, automation and AI eroding entry-level roles, and a mismatch between degrees and global skill demand; inequality between the connected and the rest.
Social
- Gains: more choice in career, partner and lifestyle; changing gender norms and rising female aspiration; exposure to global ideas on rights and mental health.
- Costs: nuclear families and migration weaken support systems; comparison culture on social media, stress, loneliness and substance abuse rise; values clash across generations.
Political
- Gains: awareness of global causes — climate, gender, human rights — and new tools of participation: digital campaigns, RTI, youth-led protests; global benchmarks raise expectations of governance.
- Costs: polarisation, misinformation and foreign interference travel on the same platforms; performative activism; backlash politics of cultural anxiety.
Cultural
- Gains: a hybrid 'glocal' culture — Indian music, cinema, yoga and cuisine reach the world while youth mix global and local idioms with confidence rather than imitation.
- Costs: consumerism and brand-driven identity, erosion of regional languages and folk traditions, homogenised lifestyles and imported body and beauty norms.
Overall judgement
- On balance globalisation has expanded young Indians' capabilities and horizons; its costs fall hardest on the less educated, rural and female youth who receive the exposure without the opportunity.
Globalisation has made India's youth the most connected generation in its history; whether they become its beneficiaries or its casualties depends on skills, social security and a culture confident enough to absorb without dissolving.
Written by Minimalist IAS from facts checked at source (how we verify) — a little fuller than exam length, so every part of the question is covered; in the hall, keep the structure and trim the detail. UPSC publishes no model answers: compare your structure and coverage with this, then write your own.