Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1. Who organises the study?
The ADS is a research project implemented by a team of academics, professionals and experts working under the auspices of the Armenian Institute in London. All major decisions about the design and implementation of the project are guided by an international ADS Academic Advisory Committee, made of leading academics and experts. A team, led by a director, carries out the research and provides guidance and support to local research teams in various cities.
2. Who funds the study?
The Armenian Diaspora Survey is initiated and funded by the Armenian Communities Department of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon.
3. Which countries are included?
In 2018, the pilot project was held in Boston, Cairo, Marseille and Pasadena. In 2019, the full research was launched in Argentina, Romania, Montreal (Canada) and Lebanon. In 2021, four more communities were surveyed: Belgium, Britain, Paris (Île-de-France) and Rostov-on-Don. In 2022, the survey was carried out in the United States and Ontario, Canada.
4. How are cities and communities selected?
The ADS aims to cover a number of diaspora communities every year. The Academic Advisory Committee discusses potential communities and makes a selection with the objective of reflecting the diversity of Armenian communities across the world. In the process, consideration is given, for instance, to communities in different continents, as well as size, feasibility of research and diversity.
5. What will happen to my responses?
All responses submitted both online and on paper by respondents in all communities will be processed and analysed by professional researchers. Responses will be confidential. It is not possible to know the identity of the person completing the questionnaire.
6. When will the results be published?
Your responses, along with all the other respondents’, will be processed and the results analysed. The report with the main findings are made available about six months after the end of the fieldwork. Click these links for the results of ADS 2022, ADS 2021, ADS 2019 and ADS pilot 2018.
7. How can I find out more about ADS?
Information about ADS is available on the ADS website. You can also search “Armenian Diaspora Survey” online for further information or click here.
8. Who looks after the implementation of the survey in our city?
A number of local academics and professionals in each city of the survey are invited by ADS and appointed as members of a local Advisory Team. They assist ADS in the implementation of the survey in a given community.
9. Will ADS results be open to public?
The complete results of the ADS will be available to the public and for free, of course, without the identity of the respondents. The results, including all data, will be available to scholars and anyone who is interested in the knowledge obtained. The results of ADS 2022, ADS 2021, ADS 2019 and ADS pilot 2018 are available to the public.
10. Who will use the ADS results?
The data and the knowledge gained from the survey will be available to scholars and interested researchers as a resource for further research and analysis.
11. Will anyone know what I wrote in the responses? Is participation confidential?
Participation is absolutely confidential and no one will know who completed the responses in the survey.
12. Who can take part in the survey?
All community members aged 16 and above, or 18 and above in some countries, who are resident in each of the participating communities and identify as Armenian, can take part in the survey.
13. Do I have to take part in the survey?
Participation in the survey is voluntary. You may decline to take part in the survey, or any part of it. You may decline to answer a particular question in the survey. There is no obligation to complete the survey or answer every question in it.
14. How do you select people to take part in the survey?
ADS works with local academics, researchers and professionals in each survey city and engages with local community organisations to generate the sample. ADS aims to engage as many people as possible in each Armenian community. Everyone is welcome to submit their views on the survey.
15. How are people selected to take part in the survey?
We aim to include as many members of Armenian community as possible and to be as representative as possible. We make an effort to advertise the survey as broadly as we can in each community. We engage all community organisations, attend events, use social media, local Armenian media and individuals to spread the word and encourage participation. You may invite other people to take part in the survey.
16. Can I ask other people to complete the survey?
Yes, you can recommend other people to take part in the survey by directing them to the ADS website, provided that they live in one of the participating cities.
17. How do you ensure that the survey is representative?
Organising surveys in Armenian diasporas is very challenging due to many factors, least of which because there are no centralised or single list of Armenians in a given city or country. It is difficult to define, for instance, the boundaries of the community, as well as those who are considered Armenian. All surveys working with hard to reach populations have similar challenges. We try to overcome these challenges by trying to engage with as many community members as possible, by trying to reach out to people who are not active in the community, by trying to engage with all community organisations and other methods. Further details about our approach is explained in the methodology chapter of the results reports.
18. How is the research team selected?
In each Armenian diaspora community, we call upon certain local scholars, academics and professionals to advise on the implementation process. A select number of them are appointed as the local Advisory Team. The Advisory Team helps with the implementation of the survey. The local research team, consisting of 2-3 people, who are recruited based on their relevant expertise or qualifications.