Authored by: Junaid Bashir
Introduction:
Aspirations refer to the capacity to steer social life and support desires, preferences, and choices to achieve the intended goals in a society (Appadurai, 2004). In common parlance, these are referred to as individual dreams; however, they are shaped by various factors, such as societal structure,economic opportunities, and the political landscape.
In strife-torn regions like Jammu and Kashmir, aspirations have historically been constrained by insecurity, limited access to resources, and an uncertain future. Studies show that even in such an atmosphere, youth aspire to a better life and actively work to mitigate the constraints around them. After the abrogation of Article 370, which granted Jammu and Kashmir special status, a study by Aslam and Sudan (2021) reveals that the youth in the Jammu region closely associatetheir hopes for economic recovery with employment, infrastructure, and governance reforms, exhibiting both anxiety and guarded optimism.
This picture has been reinforced by studies conducted at the national level. A survey conducted by the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) and the World Economic Forum found that Indian youth place a high value on meaningful work, skill development, and financial independence, even as many remain unaware of governmental initiatives intended to assist them. Similarly, a report by Lokniti–CSDS and Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) highlights how economic worries, employment uncertainties, and mental health concerns weigh heavily on the minds of young Indians as they continue to aspire for stability, dignity, and meaningful participation.
These more general patterns interact with local experiences of conflict, surveillance, and political restructuring in Jammu and Kashmir. This paper examines how educational pathways, labour market structures, internet governance, and youth-focused initiatives are influencing the aspirations of young people in the region. It focuses on four interrelated domains: education and career aspirations, entrepreneurship and livelihood strategies, digital connectivity and online futures,and civic engagement and political participation, while also acknowledging the underlying strains of unemployment and uncertainty.
Aspirations in a Conflict-Affected Context
The perspectives of youth on the future are shaped by conflict situations, which frequently heighten their needs for security, freedom, and a voice. The expectations of youth and the economy in Jammu & Kashmir have been severely impacted by decades of militarization, political contestation, and sporadic violence. Following the abrogation of Article 370, young people in the Jammu region see economic recovery in terms of increased security, infrastructure development, job creation, and tourism revival. This shows that ambitions are directly linked to perceptions of state performance and stability (Aslam & Sudan, 2021).
At the same time, there is growing recognition—especially in civil society and policy discourse—that young people are not only “victims” of conflict but also potential agents of transformation. A report by Fayaz Ahmad Dar in 2014highlights that young people seek safe spaces to discuss politics, express their grievances, and engage in social change without fear of retribution. It argued that meaningful youth engagement in socio-economic and political processes requires independent forums in schools, universities, and communities where young people can articulate their aspirations and contribute to peacebuilding.
The combination of economic expectations and a demand for voice thus forms an essential backdrop for understanding contemporary youth aspirations in Jammu and Kashmir: young people want both material opportunities and recognition as stakeholders in the region’s future.
Transformations in Educational Aspirations
Education has long been a central route through which Kashmiri families and youth imagine upward mobility. In recent years, the expansion of schools, colleges, and universities has widened access to formal learning, while competitive examinations and professional courses have become key aspirations for many adolescents. Dar’s (2019) study on the ‘Influence of Academic Streams on Career Aspirations of Kashmiri Adolescents’ shows that students in different streams—science, arts, commerce—display distinct career ambitions, but across the board, there is a strong orientation towards higher education and professional status.
At the all-India level, the Lokniti–CSDS/KAS study finds that young Indians overwhelmingly see education as essential for a good life but often struggle with financial barriers, poor quality, and uncertainty about job outcomes. For youth in Jammu and Kashmir, these concerns are compounded by conflict-related disruptions, periodic shutdowns of institutions, and the psychological stress of studying in a volatile environment. However, despite such obstacles, enrollment in universities and professional courses has increased, and many students aspire to careers in teaching, medicine, engineering, the civil service, and the private sector.
Skill-based education is another critical dimension shaping aspirations. The majority of young people express interest in skill-development programs. Still, they are either unaware of them or have doubts about their quality, according to national surveys such as Young India and Work. Initiatives under the “Mission Youth” and other state programs in Jammu and Kashmir offer training in tourism, hospitality, IT services, agriculture, and other fields to help close this gap. These interventions indicate to youth that there is a scope beyond traditional degrees, reinforcing aspirations for practical skills and employability; however, questions remain about the scale, quality, and regional reach of such schemes.
In sum, educational aspirations in J&K are broadening: while formal degrees remain central, vocational training, competitive exams, and skill programmes now occupy significant space in young people’s plans.
Entrepreneurship and Emerging Livelihood Aspirations
A significant shift in youth aspirations in Jammu and Kashmiris the growing interest in entrepreneurship. One of the first diagnostic investigations into this issue is the Mercy Corps report, “Youth Entrepreneurship in Kashmir: Challenges and Opportunities” (2011). It details how young Kashmiris operate small companies in industries such as retail, tourism, gardening, and services; these ventures are frequently motivated by a need for employment, a lack of paid employment opportunities, or a desire for autonomy. At the same time, the study highlights barriers such as limited access to credit, inadequate business development services, insufficient mentoring, and low awareness of government schemes.
Subsequent work in policy and academic literature has reinforced this picture of constrained but rising entrepreneurial energy. Analyses of skill-development and Mission Youth-type programmes note that schemes offering seed capital, incubation, and market linkages have started to reshape youth perceptions of self-employment and innovation, especially in districts such as Shopian and Pulwama, where conflict-related disruptions are acute but agricultural and service-sector potential remains high.
Nationally, the persistence of high youth unemployment has made entrepreneurship more attractive, but also more challenging. Das’s (2025) econometric study of youth unemployment in India shows that education, caste, gender, place of residence, and household economic status are significant determinants of joblessness, and that a large share of youth are absorbed into informal, insecure work. Against this backdrop, Kashmiri youth considering entrepreneurship do so in a context where formal jobs are scarce, informal work is precarious, and starting a business carries both promise and risk.
Despite these limitations, the fact is that more young people now aspire to run start-ups or scale small ventures in tourism, crafts, food, or digital services, which marks a notable departure from earlier generations’ more narrowly defined employment goals.
Digital Connectivity and Online Futures
In the current era, digitalisation has reshaped the aspirations of young people across India in many ways. The ORF and WEF’s report shows that youth envision futures involving digital skills, remote work, and online entrepreneurship, even though many lack guidance on how to achieve these goals.For youth in J&K, digital technologies offer similar possibilities—online education, e-commerce, content creation, freelancing, and social media influencing—but with a crucial difference: the region has experienced some of the most prolonged and most frequent internet shutdowns in the world.
The socioeconomic effects of shutdowns on enterprises, education, governance, and everyday life in the Union Territory are summarized by Tayal and Jaggarwal(2022/2023). Long-term suspensions of broadband and mobile services have been shown to impede schooling, weaken service-sector activity, disrupt businesses, and increase frustration among the youth. Meanwhile, the intensity of young people’s responses to internet outrages highlights the importance of internet access to their goals. Young people in Jammu and Kashmir increasingly view online platforms as places where they can acquire new skills, interact with peers, establish professional networks, and engage in public debates.Research from other Indian regions also shows that digital access can help rural and marginalised youth overcome geographic constraints and reach broader markets or audiences.
Thus, there is a tension at the heart of digital aspirations in Jammu and Kashmir: youth want to build digital futures, but they do so in an environment where connectivity is both enabling and uncertain. This tension feeds into how they evaluate career paths, consider relocation, or think about their long-term prospects in the region.
Civic Engagement, Identity, and Political Aspirations
The aspirations of youth in Jammu and Kashmir are not limited to jobs and economic well-being; these also involve questions of identity, dignity, and political participation. The Conciliation Resources report Opening Spaces for Youth in Jammu & Kashmir underscores that many young people wish to contribute constructively to their communities but feel excluded from formal political processes and mistrustful of traditional leadership structures. It calls for safe and inclusive forums where young people can discuss local issues, engage with authorities, and collaborate on community projects.
National-level survey data provide a valid comparison. The Lokniti–CSDS/KAS youth study finds that young Indians are not apolitical; they hold strong views on democracy, development, and rights, and they are more likely than older generations to support issues such as gender equality and education. At the same time, they also express high levels of anxiety and a sense that political institutions do not adequately respond to their concerns.
In Jammu and Kashmir, where politics is deeply intertwined with questions of territory, identity, and security, these tensions are even sharper. While systematic, large-N evidence on political aspirations of Kashmiri youth is still limited, existing qualitative work and reports suggest that many young people aspire to have a say in decisions affecting their lives—whether through student politics, civil-society initiatives, online campaigns, or local governance—yet often experience their participation as constrained or risky. This combination of desire for agency and frustration with existing structures is a defining feature of contemporary youth aspirations in the region.
Unemployment, Uncertainty, and Aspirational Tensions
Underlying all these domains—education, entrepreneurship, digital futures, civic engagement—is the stubborn reality of unemployment and precarious work. Using data from the Periodic Labour Force Survey, Das’s (2025) research on youth unemployment in India emphasises that caste, gender, and place of residence have a substantial impact on employment opportunities, and young individuals with higher levels of education are paradoxically more likely to be unemployed.These national patterns resonate strongly in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), where educated youth frequently struggle to translate their degrees into secure employment.
Survey-based reports, such as Young India and Work and Indian Youth: Aspirations and Vision for the Future, highlight that Indian youth as a whole face a significant mismatch between their skills and labour market demand, and that many feel they lack guidance, networks, and supportive ecosystems to achieve their goals. In Jammu and Kashmir, this mismatch is compounded by a smaller private sector, security-related constraints, and reputational concerns that discourage investment.
These structural realities create what can be called an aspiration–opportunity gap: young people are encouraged to dream big and upgrade their skills, but the number and quality of available jobs remain limited. It resulted in some individuals taking on unconventional jobs, starting smallbusinesses, or seeking opportunities elsewhere. For others, it led to dissatisfaction, mental health stress, or a retreat from the workforce. Policy frameworks that celebrate teenage goals without addressing structural constraints risk intensifyingyoung people’s dissatisfaction rather than alleviating it; thus,it is also imperative to recognize this tension.
Conclusion:
The aspirations of youth in Jammu and Kashmir haveundergone a significant transformation since 2019 and continue to evolve to this day. Young people are increasingly seeking higher education, employable skills, entrepreneurship, digital employment opportunities, and active involvement in public life, according to studies and policy assessments. In addition to securing their means of subsistence, they also seek respect, dignity, and involvement in determining the destiny of their area (Aslam & Sudan, 2021; Dar, 2014; Mercy Corps, 2011).
At the same time, these aspirations remain entangled with long-standing constraints, including high unemployment, uneven quality of education, limited formal-sector jobopportunities, intermittent internet shutdowns, and fragile trust between youth and institutions. National surveys underscore that Indian youth more broadly are anxious about their futures, and this anxiety is likely intensified in conflict-affected settings like Jammu and Kashmir.
For policymakers and practitioners, the key challenge is to narrow the aspiration–opportunity gap. This means expanding decent work opportunities, strengthening the private sector, and ensuring that skill development programs are genuinely aligned with labour market demand. It also requires stable and affordable digital connectivity, transparent and youth-friendly financial systems, and safe spaces—both online and offline—for young people to debate, organise, and collaborate. Initiatives such as Mission Youth, when implemented transparently and in dialogue with local communities, can play a constructive role. Still, they must be evaluated critically and improved based on the feedback of young people.
Ultimately, the changing dynamics of youth aspirations in Jammu and Kashmir represent both a challenge and an opportunity. If the region can translate these aspirations into concrete avenues for learning, work, creativity, and participation, youth could become a central force in building a more peaceful, inclusive, and prosperous future. If not, the disappointment of unmet expectations could deepen existing grievances. Understanding and engaging thoughtfully with youth aspirations, therefore, is not a peripheral concern—it is central to any long-term vision of a progressive Jammu and Kashmir.
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