81% 13-year-Olds Don't Want To Be In Their Parents' Profession

We pontificate about them, get anxious about them, and live our dreamsvicariously through them. But how often do we get the news directly from the minds of thirteen-year-olds?

Updated on: 7 February 2024 6:00 pm

OUTLOOK-GfK MODE OPINION POLL
81% 13-year-olds don’t want to be in their parents’profession
We pontificate about them, get anxious about them, and live our dreamsvicariously through them. But how often do we get the news directly from the minds of thirteen-year-olds?

How do you spend your free time?
Watching television					34
Playing games					21
Spend time with parents/brother/sister					17
Cooking/doing household work					10
Spend time with friends					9
Playing computer games					5
Surfing internet/chatting					2
Go to theatre to watch a movie					1
Go to a gymnasium					1
Which outdoor game do you like the most?
Cricket					40
Running					15
Football					10
Badminton					10
Tennis					6
Don’t play outdoor games					10
None of above					9
What influences you the most?
		Metro	Town		Vil
Books	45	24	41		72
TV	36	50	40		17
Films	12	17	12		8
Internet	7	9	7		3
Do you want to be in the same profession as your parents?
		Yes	No	Won't Work
		17	81	2

If not, what are the reasons?
Doesn’t interest me			28
Very little money			19
No job satisfaction			6
Want to do own thing			47
Which career option interests you the most?
	All	Metro	Town		Vil
Computer Engineering	20	8	36		16
Medicine	16	11	18		21
Business Mgmt/Own Business	9	18	2		6
Teaching	7	1	15		10
Airline Pilot	5	6	4		4
Fashion designing/ modelling	5	10	1		2
Housewife/ working at home	5	8	0		6
Army/Navy/ Airforce	4	2	7		5
Acting	4	6	1		4
Chartered Accountancy	4	8	0		6
Social work	4	2	7		5
Law	3	1	6		4
Advertising	3	1	6		4
Civil Service	3	1	1		6
Builder/ Contractor	2	5	0		1
Filmmaking	2	5	0		0
Investment Banking	2	5	1		0
Politics	2	2	1		2

29% prefer to talk to friends, not parents, about their problems

35% consider their computer to be their proudest possession

Book-loving village-dwellers, devoutly religious city-slickers, PC-proud midtowners... all of them shared something of their lives. Their aspirations and idols, their favourite pastimes, their hopes for their country.... This is the story of being a teenager in today’s India, straight from the foal’s mouth.

Do you have friends from the other gender?YesNoNR38611

Those who said “yes”

Boys39Girls38Metro48Town34Village33Do you believe in God?YesNo964How often do you pray and visit religious places?MetroTownVilEvery day44916Once a week255150Once a month112713Only on festival days201311Very rarely004Never006Who is your role model?


		All	Boys	Girls
M.S. Dhoni		10	13	7
Katrina Kaif		9	4	14
Sachin Tendulkar		9	14	4
Akshay Kumar		7	11	3
Aishwarya Rai		7	1	13
Rahul Gandhi		7	5	9
Dr Manmohan Singh		6	7	5
Sania Mirza		6	4	9
Amitabh Bachchan		5	5	6
Shahrukh Khan		5	6	4
Other		29	30	26
What qualities of your role model do you like?
	All	Metro	Town	Vil
Honesty	44	33	17	83
Intelligence	27	36	15	31
Diligence & hard work	26	14	29	34
Good looks & personality	26	39	20	17
Kindness	21	19	10	33
Bravery & spirit of adventure	21	17	32	14
Money & power	21	26	2	35
Friendliness	19	26	3	27
Modesty	14	19	1	21
Sense of humour	13	10	7	21
What’s the one thing about yourself that you would like to change?
	All	Metro	Town	Vil
The way I look	22	13	18	38
Parents to be more understanding	22	27	24	15
Grow up fast and start earning	20	28	16	16
Less pressure to perform in school	13	17	16	6
Spend more time with parents	12	5	16	16
Have more time of my own	3	4	4	0
Be more popular in my age group	2	4	1	0
Be more attractive to other gender	2	2	0	5
Don’t know/Can’t say	4	1	6	6

All figures in percentage

Methodology: Outlook-GfK Mode opinion poll conducted exclusively among 13-year-olds in Mumbai, Madurai and Ballabhgarh from October 1 to 4. Sample size: 311; 152 boys, 159 girls. The house-to-house and street-corner interviews were conducted in the absence of parents to avoid any bias in responses.