The Jantar Mantar protest of the young people, led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has drawn considerable attention to the role that those popularly referred to as “Gen Z” will play in the future. With elections due in seven States next year, including Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Gujarat, there is much discussion about how the politically active Gen Z could impact the electoral outcomes in these States. The byelection results in Bankipur and Daita, where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lost, have drawn considerable attention to the youth vote. Many believe the BJP’s defeat in the Bankipur Assembly seat in Bihar, otherwise a stronghold of the party, was largely due to young voters turning their backs on the BJP. We are not sure how much support the BJP may have lost among young voters in Bankipur, but it is true that there is some visible unease among the youth in India. It may not be incorrect to bring the youth into the discussion, though it may be too early to conclude that they can upset the calculations of ruling parties in many States. In light of these developments, it may be appropriate to examine how young people have behaved politically over the past decade. Data from various Lokniti-CSDS surveys can help identify patterns in turnout, their party preferences, and whether they have consistently backed the winning party or influenced political change in the country.Youth voter participation patternsThe survey data clearly indicates that young people did not participate in the 2024 Lok Sabha election in very large numbers, though there were State-wise variations. Turnout among the youngest age group (18-21 years) was about 6 percentage points lower than the average, while turnout among those aged 22-25 years was higher, at 68%. State-level turnout based on Assembly elections also shows considerable variation. In Bihar, only 41% of 18-21-year-olds turned out to vote, compared with an overall turnout of 67.3%. Uttar Pradesh showed a similar gap, with turnout among the youngest voters at 51%, against an average turnout of 61.1%.