Men more fashion-conscious than women

Hindustan Times, January 27, 2003

HT Youth Survey

Namita Bhandare

Young Indians in cities across the country are extremely conscious about the brands they wear. Individualism has hit a low and Generation Now would rather wear the latest fashion and be part of a group than rebel and stand alone outside the circle of their peers, finds a five-city survey.

The survey commissioned by Hindustan Times and conducted by Taylor Nelson Sofres (TNS) Mode of young Indians in the age group 16 to 24 finds that Generation Now is anything but a bindaas, anything-goes generation.

On the contrary, this generation is concerned about the impression it makes on others and in being part of a group.

Contrary to general perception, men are actually more fashion-conscious than women. Predictably younger age groups (16 to 18 years) are the most fashion-conscious.

Where brands go, men are just as brand-conscious as women. Cutting across the age divide too, those in the 16 to 18 years age bracket said they were as brand-conscious as those in the 19 to 21 years age bracket.

Forty-seven per cent of our respondents in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata and Chandigarh said it is important for them to be part of a group. Another 32 percent said it was "somewhat important" to belong to a group and only seven percent said it wasn't at all important to them.

A fourth of our respondents believe that you can tell a lot about a person by the brand he or she wears. Another 27 percent "agreed somewhat" with the statement. When we asked how important it was to wear the latest fashion, 32 percent said it was very important and another 30 percent said it was "some what important". Only 13 percent said it wasn't important at all.

We also asked young Indians how concerned they were about the impression they made on other people: 53 percent had no qualms admitting they were terribly concerned about the impression other people formed about them and another 29 percent said they are "somewhat concerned".

This generation is equally concerned about family and staying at home. Over half --- 59 percent --- said they'd rather live at home with their families than on their own.

For 32 percent of our respondents, spending a quiet evening at home with their family was more important than going out to party. However, given a choice, 30 percent said they'd opt to go to a party.

And, Generation Now certainly isn't short on ideals. A vast majority believes that job satisfaction is more important than making money.

While nearly 80 percent believe the standard of living is higher in other countries, only 54 percent would, given an opportunity, rather settle down abroad.

In a country where global brands are now readily available, perhaps there isn't as much need.