India is the most optimistic market about young people’s future among the 31 countries surveyed in the Ipsos Education Monitor 2026, with 72% of Indians saying young people have a bright future. 

The report, based on a global survey of 23,537 adults, including around 1,000 respondents in India, also reveals a clear divide in attitudes towards technology: 78% support banning social media for children under 14, while 61% oppose banning AI tools such as ChatGPT in schools. The survey was conducted between 19 June and 3 July 2026. 

Ipsos noted that its India sample is more urban, educated and affluent than the general population and represents the more connected segment of the population.

The findings suggest Indians are distinguishing between technology they see as potentially distracting and tools they believe could help young people prepare for the future. While 57% support banning smartphones in schools, only 26% believe AI tools should be banned.

The optimism around young people is also tempered by views on where opportunities lie. 76% of Indians believe young people would have better opportunities by moving abroad, even as India records the highest optimism about their future among the markets surveyed.

Concerns around the future are largely economic and social rather than centred on education alone. 36% identify a mismatch between skills and labour-market requirements as the biggest challenge facing young people, followed by mental health challenges and poverty and inequality, both cited by 30% of respondents. Meanwhile, 26% point to the effects of social media and technology, including AI, as a key challenge facing young people.

Suresh Ramalingam, CEO, Ipsos India, said, "India's results reveal a country that is both optimistic and demanding. Indians are more confident than almost anyone in the world about the future of their young people and continue to place extraordinary faith in education as a pathway to opportunity, social mobility and a better life. But beneath that optimism is a clear message: aspiration alone is not enough. People are increasingly focused on whether education and training systems are keeping pace with labour market demands, whether young people are being supported through growing mental health challenges, and whether opportunity is expanding quickly enough to match ambition. At the same time, Indians are drawing a clear boundary around childhood, supporting stronger protections from social media while continuing to embrace innovation in learning. The defining story is not a country worried about the future. It is a country with rising expectations for what education, technology and society must deliver for the next generation.”