Who We Are

The Armenian Diaspora Survey (ADS) was born out of an interest to learn more about what people are thinking about and doing in contemporary Armenian communities across the globe.

Led by a team of academics, researchers and experts, the Armenian Diaspora Survey (ADS) aims to provide a snapshot of the contemporary Diaspora. The project fills a critical gap in the knowledge of the Diaspora and provides evidence-based understanding of the multilayered and diverse aspects of diasporic life. 

The ADS Director and Team work with an Academic Advisory Committee of experienced scholars and researchers in creating the tools for the research and the analysis of the results.

The project is funded by the Armenian Communities Department of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Lisbon, and administered by the Armenian Institute, London. 

What We Do

The ADS conducts research in selected cities through questionnaires and interviews with people who identify themselves as Armenians.  This includes those who actively take part in community affairs, but also those who are not active for a variety of reasons.  

The survey explores different ways of belonging within the diaspora, the connections between the diaspora and the Republic of Armenia, as well as other forms of homeland, such as “the old country”. Within this context, ADS studies the different national contexts, how it feels to be an Armenian in, for example, Argentina, Romania, Lebanon, France, Canada or America, and how one becomes Argentinian, French, American or British as well as Armenian.  Many perspectives are brought together and a portrait of the 21st century Armenian diaspora is drawn.  

The Results

The research data about the multiple ways in which Armenians think about themselves, their views, their concerns, their connections to their shared past and future, is shared with the public, as well as researchers, policy-makers, and community leaders.

The results of the 2022, 2021, 2019 surveys and the 2018 pilot have already been published and are available to the general public and on this website (see the “Surveys” tab).

The information itself will be kept in the archives of the Armenian Diaspora Study and will be made available to researchers on application. All information is kept in anonymous format. 

Why is this Important?

The Armenian diaspora is not only spread across the world, it is also many-layered with continuing waves of migration and secondary migration.  Each new wave and each new generation in every community refreshes, initiates and stimulates changes.  Some changes are absorbed, some discarded, but transformation continues.  It is important to learn about the ways in which the diaspora is evolving in its different environments and the different ways that make it possible to continue making connections.

The study is also important beyond the Armenian diaspora.  There are multiple ways in which Armenian immigrants around the world have made contributions to their new host countries, becoming part of the fabric of that country, helping it to move forward while at the same time maintaining a strong connection to their Armenian family and heritage.  It is helpful for others to learn about this experience, hear the stories and perhaps find some lessons within.