IJ PUBLICATION

Abstract

The growing prominence of India's Generation Z marks a significant shift in the landscape of political engagement, reshaping how young citizens interpret, debate and engage with political issues. The paper titled, “Virtual and Real: An Examination of India’s Gen Z Political Consciousness, Participation and Perception in the Digital Age”, explores the political consciousness, participation and perception of India's Gen Z. The data is collected from 205 participants, comprising students across various educational institutions as well as working professionals of India through self-administered survey questionnaire. Quantitative research methodology is used to analyse the data. The findings suggest that while Gen Z are politically conscious and have high interest in politics, their political engagement often remains confined to virtual environment. Their online as well as offline political participation is limited. They have certain kind of perception towards politics. It follows that India's Gen Z represents a digitally aware yet institutionally detached generation. The democratic process will only be strengthened if online interest and activity can be transformed into consistent, real-world civic participation. This research highlights the need to strengthen Gen Z- driven democratic participation in the digital age.