Millennials value personal choice over society’s judgement

While planning their first ever 360-degree brand campaign in India, international dating app OkCupid wanted to understand what Indian millennials really want from life and relationships. They gathered responses from users, in the age group of 25 and 35 years, to questions on the app that inform OkCupid’s algorithm to make suggestions of compatible matches. The data found that expectations within this group regarding an ideal partner are evolving fast, and so are social and cultural expectations. Instead of being told what to do, or having other people choose for them, young, single Indians want to make their own choices based on the connection they share with a person. They are in no hurry to ‘settle down’ or ‘compromise’ until they feel comfortable with their choice. As the first generation of Indians to seek financial independence over marriage, and having access to ideas and opportunities without the limitations of geography, Indian millennials have a clear idea of who they are and what they want from life. This is a generation rewriting the social and cultural fabric of India by questioning  patriarchal gender roles that have remained unchanged through centuries. OkCupid finds that Indian millennials are voicing their independent opinion on most things in their lives and redefining what a serious relationship means for them today.
Taking insights from the data gathered, OkCupid launched its first brand campaign in India including their first TVC, ‘Find My Kind’. The campaign builds on the insight that people of this generation want a meaningful relationship with a like-minded partner to celebrate and share their values, beliefs and quirks. The TVC showcases a man and a woman in their 20s making conscious choices in life as other people’s expectations attempt to interrupt. Their choices lead them to find each other,  – a 93% match on OkCupid – and the promise of a partner who is on their wavelength. This relatable campaign resonates with those for whom marriage is a choice, not a destination, and the ‘right’ companion is someone who is right for themselves, not determined by society, family or friends – someone they can call ‘my kind’. 

Do you feel that your values or priorities vary wildly from those of your peers and family?
An overwhelming 92 percent of OkCupid’s users feel their values vastly differ from their parents’, and a majority of them (79 percent) also do not believe they echo their friends’ choices. The numbers clearly establish them as a group of people who choose individuality over anything else and greatly value what they want, which is very different from what others want for them.
Imagine that a friend of yours gives up a lucrative career as an executive of a multinational corporation to train as a chef, claiming it as their true calling. What is your first reaction?
A majority of respondents (88 percent) will support their friend in following their passion over high-paying jobs that they don’t love. This is a generation that won’t compromise and encourages others in pursuing their dreams too even if it means taking a gamble as big as this.
Are traditional gender roles important in a romantic relationship?
When it comes to the kind of relationship they want, 72 percent believe that traditional gender roles, such as men being default heads of households and not househusbands, or women taking care of chores and children or changing their names, have no place in their lives now.
Would you consider a serious relationship with someone who couldn’t have children?
Another finding that distinguishes them from any generation before them is that 89 percent of users will choose to be with a partner in a serious relationship even if they can’t have children. This is a significant cultural shift, especially in India where natural progression of a relationship and marriage is starting a family.
Is marriage a necessity for two people who love each other?
Surprise, surprise! 68 percent of the users say that they don’t believe marriage is mandatory for two people in love.
If you had to choose only one, how would you prefer to meet potential partners?
67 percent of users would choose to meet somebody serendipitously on a dating app like OkCupid over being set up by their family or friends.
Do you find intelligence even sexier than looks?
83 percent women and 79 percent men find intelligence way more appealing than looks which just goes to say, that for this generation, the motto is – #SubstanceOverSelfie.
Do you conform with society more, or go against it?
A massive 87 percent users don’t conform to society’s judgements and choose to live, and let live, life on own terms.
Which comes first, family or friends?
Often accused of lacking family attachment, data reveals that 90 percent of users will choose family over friends. They might be taking charge of their lives, but they still love their family – even if they do not match with their family’s opinions quite as much!