The urban Indian parenting split: new parents are rejecting old ways, except for the ultra-rich

These are the findings of the 13th round of a survey that Mint conducts online in association with YouGov India and Delhi-based think tank Centre for Policy Research. All 12 previous rounds, conducted between 2018 and 2024, have thrown light on the beliefs, choices and anxieties of India’s young urban population. The latest one took place in March-April 2026, with 10,022 adult respondents across 207 towns and cities. Around 53% were Gen Z (born between 1997 and 2008); 34% were millennials (born during 1981-1996).

We gave respondents a set of questions to assess their parenting styles. The analysis described above is based on a question that listed six pairs of choices, of which they had to identify the one their parents had picked for them, and the one they had picked, or would pick, for their kids. Where the pairs were not mutually exclusive (e.g., one may argue that it’s possible to have traditional grounding while being a responsible citizen), respondents were expected to pick the one closer to reality.

Only 21% picked the same option for themselves as well as for their parents in all six pairs. Note that the previous generation’s parenting choices are only based on respondents’ perception in retrospect and cannot be verified. We also asked participants to identify the biggest concerns for their children’s future, and their top priorities about what they would go on to do in their careers.

Nearly half the respondents were not parents, with the share rising to 78% among Gen Z. For them, the questions were phrased in a hypothetical manner.

For example, opposite to the general trend, they were more likely to pick academics over extracurriculars, just like their parents. While overall, 43% picked studies, the share was 50% among those earning ₹1 lakh a month or above (referred to as ‘high earners’ after this).

Such affluent parents also showed relatively less appetite for risk when it came to their children’s career choices, and greater inclination towards stability, status and predictability. They showed lower priority for passion and entrepreneurial independence, and more for prestige and salary, despite having greater financial backing than lower-earning parents.

Around 53% of high-earning parents said passion mattered, less than the broader population (58%). The desire for a child to get a high-pay conflicts, and wanted to give them a curated social circle for the right influences.

South India also puts a significant premium on children’s passion while deliberating career moves, with nearly two in three naming it as a top priority (overall: 58%). These states also show less interest in prestige; only one in five showed a priority for it, against 32% in eastern states.

Anecdotal evidence suggests younger parents are trying gentler methods of raising kids while not fully junking the strictness and discipline that previous generations grew up with. The survey showed an overwhelming majority (75%) claim to prefer gentleness, with some or no strictness. Gen Z, many of whom are not parents yet, echoed the general trend, but younger millennials, who are likely new parents, were slightly less keen towards gentle parenting (72%). Women were more likely to vote for gentle parenting (77%).

While the trend was broadly similar across groups, there were outliers: higher-income groups were more concerned about rising competition (46%) and early onset of lifestyle diseases (49%) than lower-earning groups. Richer groups’ worry over competition could ironically be arising out of their own choice to place greater emphasis on academics and, more broadly, on status and stability.

This is the first part of a series about the survey’s findings. Read the full methodology note.