How Social Media Influencers Engineer Brand Attitudes and Decisions Among India’s Gen Z Consumer Cohort

Fast spread of social media changed how people choose what to buy. Influencers now play a big role in that shift. Instead of just ads, young shoppers pay attention to personalities online. This research looked at students and their reactions to those influencers. It checked if things like gender, course of study, or age make a difference. Trust levels, opinions, and buying choices were measured closely. A total of 220 students answered questions designed to capture real feelings. Numbers came from averages, comparisons between groups, and variance checks. Each question used a five-point scale to rate thoughts. Results showed clear patterns across different types of learners. Some traits are shaped more than others. Not everyone responded the same way. Differences appeared when comparing majors. Age had subtle effects on attitude strength. Gender splits revealed distinct trends too. Overall, personal background matters in digital influence. The data supports that idea without overstating it. Patterns stood out clearly once sorted by category. Influence isn’t uniform; it shifts based on who is watching. Right off, numbers showed students tend to like influencer marketing - just not too much. Most answers fell from 3.4 to 4.2 out of 5, so there's some approval floating around. Yet, they didn’t hand over full trust without questions. What stood out was how often they checked prices or looked up reviews first. That step comes before buying anything influencers talk about. It paints a picture: young people online, watching posts, but also watching their wallets. They let suggestions in, sure - but only one piece among others when deciding what to buy. Blind belief? That doesn’t show up here. Instead, choices seem slow, thought through. In India, many students live on tight budgets. Because of that, every rupee gets attention - and influencer pushes get tested, not taken straight. Notably, results from the independent samples t-test highlighted clear gender patterns. Across the survey, women rated 21 of 30 statements much differently than men did; these gaps favored female participants every time. When it came to believing claims about products, feeling that influences were genuine, or being sure about buying something recommended, the divide stood out sharply. Because of this trend, young women appear more open to influence from online personalities compared to young men. Their answers suggest stronger emotional bonds develop during interactions with digital creators - bonds that lead to actual decisions. From here, those planning campaigns may want to consider who responds when messages come through social figures. It isn’t just numbers - it points toward real behavioral contrasts worth noticing. From the One-Way ANOVA findings, new clarity emerged about how study field and age shape responses. Though 29 of the 30 aspects shifted clearly between degree types, every single one changed across age brackets - showing differences ran deep. Students in commerce tend to view influencer posts with a marketer’s eye, reacting strongly to clever messaging; those in engineering look harder at proof and logic before responding.

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