Finding 7 of 7 Pluralism & media
Trust in neighbours, distrust of the newsroom
Comfort across faith lines stays high while confidence in Kerala's media collapses — three in four say friction is manufactured for clicks.
74.9% പേർ മറ്റൊരു സമുദായത്തിലുള്ളവരുമായി ഒരുമിച്ച് ജീവിക്കാൻ പൂർണ്ണ സന്തോഷം പ്രകടിപ്പിക്കുന്നു. എന്നാൽ 27.6% പേർക്ക് മാത്രമാണ് ബഹുസ്വരമായ സുഹൃദ്വലയമുള്ളത്. 75.7% പേർ മാധ്യമങ്ങൾ വ്യൂസിനുവേണ്ടി വർഗ്ഗീയത ഉണ്ടാക്കുന്നുവെന്ന് വിശ്വസിക്കുന്നു.
74.9% of respondents are fully comfortable living and working with families of another faith, yet only 27.6% have a genuinely pluralistic close friend circle — and 75.7% believe Kerala's media deliberately manufactures communal friction for views.
Stated tolerance is high; lived contact is lower#
74.9% are fully comfortable collaborating with or living near families from a different faith tradition. 19.3% are slightly hesitant but manage. Only 5.8% are highly uncomfortable or would strictly avoid it.
Actual proximity looks different. 40.6% report a homogeneous close-friend circle where all five closest friends share their faith background, 31.8% have one or two friends of another faith, and 27.6% describe a balanced, pluralistic circle.
The gap between 74.9% comfort and 27.6% contact is the finding. Attitudes are not the constraint; residential and institutional segregation is. Note the sample composition here — 97.0% of respondents identify as Muslim, concentrated in Malappuram — which makes homogeneity partly a function of local demography rather than choice.
Media is the named antagonist#
75.7% believe mainstream channels and online portals deliberately manufacture communal friction for clicks. 18.3% think it happens only around state elections. 6.0% believe media reports on-ground events objectively.
Whatever the accuracy of that judgement, its scale is itself a media-trust datapoint: roughly three in four young Keralites treat communal coverage as commercially motivated by default.
Algorithmic influence is denied more than observed#
55.4% say online content has never negatively altered their real-world view of another community, 29.3% concede slight or temporary influence, and 15.3% admit frequent influence. Self-reported immunity to persuasion is a well-known measurement limitation, so the 44.6% who acknowledge any effect should be read as a floor rather than a total.
Behaviour under exposure is more revealing. When polarising content appears, 44.6% read the arguments and comments and feel internally upset, 25.3% scroll past neutrally, 23.6% report and block to preserve harmony, and 6.5% argue on behalf of their community.
The largest group is neither combative nor insulated. It is absorbing the material and carrying the distress — a pattern that connects this section directly to the mental-health findings.
Figures & data tables#
Every figure below is generated from the primary response counts, with the full response table and an embed snippet attached.
How comfortable do you feel actively collaborating with or living near a community fully composed of families from a different faith tradition?
മറ്റൊരു സമുദായത്തിലെ ആളുകളുമായി ഒരുമിച്ച് പ്രവർത്തിക്കുന്നതിലും അയൽക്കാരായി താമസിക്കുന്നതിലും നിങ്ങൾക്ക് എത്രത്തോളം താല്പര്യമുണ്ട്?
പൂർണ്ണ സന്തോഷമേയുള്ളൂ
ചെറിയ മടിയുണ്ടാകും എങ്കിലും കുഴപ്പമില്ല
ഞാൻ പരമാവധി ഒഴിവാക്കും
കടുത്ത ബുദ്ധിമുട്ടായിരിക്കും
Data table
| Response | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Fully comfortable and accepting | 299 | 74.9% |
| Slightly hesitant but manageable | 77 | 19.3% |
| Would strictly avoid it | 14 | 3.5% |
| Highly uncomfortable and anxious | 9 | 2.3% |
| Total answered | 399 | 100% |
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<iframe src="https://journal.moyanai.app/journal/embed/comfort-with-other-faiths" width="100%" height="420" style="border:1px solid #e5e7eb;border-radius:8px" title="How comfortable do you feel actively collaborating with or living near a community fully composed of families from a different faith tradition? — Moyan Journal"></iframe>
<p>Source: <a href="https://journal.moyanai.app/journal/kerala-gen-z-survey-2026">The Kerala Gen Z Report 2026</a>, Moyan AI.</p>How integrated is your close friend circle (top 5 friends) in terms of diverse cultural/religious backgrounds?
നിങ്ങളുടെ ഏറ്റവും അടുത്ത സുഹൃത്തുക്കളുടെ ഗ്രൂപ്പിൽ മറ്റ് മതസ്ഥരുണ്ടോ?
ആരുമില്ല
ചെറിയ രീതിയിൽ ഉണ്ട്
തികച്ചും ബഹുസ്വരമാണ്
Data table
| Response | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Homogeneous (All close friends share my identical faith background) | 162 | 40.6% |
| Moderately mixed (1 or 2 friends from another faith) | 127 | 31.8% |
| Highly pluralistic (Balanced friends from different faiths) | 110 | 27.6% |
| Total answered | 399 | 100% |
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<iframe src="https://journal.moyanai.app/journal/embed/friend-circle-diversity" width="100%" height="420" style="border:1px solid #e5e7eb;border-radius:8px" title="How integrated is your close friend circle (top 5 friends) in terms of diverse cultural/religious backgrounds? — Moyan Journal"></iframe>
<p>Source: <a href="https://journal.moyanai.app/journal/kerala-gen-z-survey-2026">The Kerala Gen Z Report 2026</a>, Moyan AI.</p>Do you believe that mainstream media channels and online portals intentionally amplify communal friction in Kerala for economic views?
കേരളത്തിലെ ഓൺലൈൻ ചാനലുകളും മാധ്യമങ്ങളും വ്യൂസ് കൂട്ടാൻ വേണ്ടി മനഃപൂർവ്വം വർഗ്ഗീയതയും തർക്കങ്ങളും വലുതാക്കി കാണിക്കാറുണ്ട് എന്ന് നിങ്ങൾ വിശ്വസിക്കുന്നുണ്ടോ?
അതെ, വ്യൂസ് കൂട്ടാൻ വേണ്ടി അവർ മനഃപൂർവ്വം ഭിന്നതകൾ ഉണ്ടാക്കുന്നു
ചില തിരഞ്ഞെടുപ്പ് സമയങ്ങളിൽ മാത്രം
ഇല്ല, അവർ നാട്ടിൽ നടക്കുന്ന കാര്യങ്ങൾ കൃത്യമായി റിപ്പോർട്ട് ചെയ്യുക മാത്രമാണ് ചെയ്യുന്നത്
Data table
| Response | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Yes, they deliberately manufacture hate for data clicks | 302 | 75.7% |
| Only occasionally during specific state elections | 73 | 18.3% |
| No, they safely report true on-ground events objectively | 24 | 6% |
| Total answered | 399 | 100% |
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<iframe src="https://journal.moyanai.app/journal/embed/media-manufacturing-friction" width="100%" height="420" style="border:1px solid #e5e7eb;border-radius:8px" title="Do you believe that mainstream media channels and online portals intentionally amplify communal friction in Kerala for economic views? — Moyan Journal"></iframe>
<p>Source: <a href="https://journal.moyanai.app/journal/kerala-gen-z-survey-2026">The Kerala Gen Z Report 2026</a>, Moyan AI.</p>What is your immediate automated response when highly polarizing or controversial communal debates appear on your digital feed?
സോഷ്യൽ മീഡിയയിൽ വർഗ്ഗീയമായതോ ഭിന്നതയുണ്ടാക്കുന്നതോ ആയ പോസ്റ്റുകൾ കണ്ടാൽ നിങ്ങളുടെ പൊതുവായ പ്രതികരണം എന്താണ്?
ഞാൻ അതിലെ കമന്റുകൾ വായിക്കുകയും ഉള്ളിൽ വിഷമമോ ദേഷ്യമോ തോന്നുകയും ചെയ്യും
ഞാൻ അത് പൂർണ്ണമായി അവഗണിച്ച് മുന്നോട്ട് സ്ക്രോൾ ചെയ്യും]
ഞാൻ ആ പോസ്റ്റ് റിപ്പോർട്ട് ചെയ്യുകയും ആ അക്കൗണ്ട് ബ്ലോക്ക് ചെയ്യുകയും ചെയ്യും
ഞാൻ കമന്റ് ബോക്സിൽ കയറി എന്റെ സമുദായത്തിന് വേണ്ടി വാദപ്രതിവാദങ്ങൾ നടത്തും
Data table
| Response | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| I deeply read the arguments and comment sections, feeling internally upset | 178 | 44.6% |
| I completely ignore it and immediately scroll past neutrally | 101 | 25.3% |
| I report the post and block the creator to preserve social harmony | 94 | 23.6% |
| I actively jump into the comments to argue and defend my community's stance | 26 | 6.5% |
| Total answered | 399 | 100% |
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<iframe src="https://journal.moyanai.app/journal/embed/reaction-to-communal-content" width="100%" height="420" style="border:1px solid #e5e7eb;border-radius:8px" title="What is your immediate automated response when highly polarizing or controversial communal debates appear on your digital feed? — Moyan Journal"></iframe>
<p>Source: <a href="https://journal.moyanai.app/journal/kerala-gen-z-survey-2026">The Kerala Gen Z Report 2026</a>, Moyan AI.</p>Frequently asked#
- Do Kerala youth trust the media on communal issues?
- No. 75.7% believe mainstream channels and online portals deliberately manufacture communal friction to gain views.
- How diverse are young Keralites' friend circles?
- Only 27.6% report a balanced, pluralistic close friend circle; 40.6% say all five of their closest friends share their faith background.
- How do Kerala youth respond to communal content online?
- 44.6% read it and feel upset, 25.3% scroll past, 23.6% report and block the creator, and 6.5% argue in the comments.
Cite this page
Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0. Attribution with a link back is the only condition.
Community Leadership and Social Change Program Research Scholars & Valakkulam, Y. (2026). Kerala Youth on Media & Communal Friction — 2026 Data. Moyan Journal of Community & Society, Volume 1, Issue 1. Department of Graduate Institute, DHI University (DHIU), India; published by Moyan AI. https://journal.moyanai.app/journal/kerala-gen-z-survey-2026/findings/pluralism-and-mediaReference manager
Open access. This work is published under CC BY 4.0. You may copy, redistribute, adapt and reuse the text, figures and data for any purpose, including commercially, with attribution and a link back.