"Determining the probable voting patterns of first generation Armenian-Americans living in Los Angeles"

Abstract

The political ideology of Armenian-Americans continues to remain a mystery for political scientists not only because Armenian-Americans are underrepresented in American politics, but also because Armenian-Americans are quite diverse in ideology, class, and cultural experiences. The diversity of the Armenian-American community is the result of the Armenian Diaspora.Throughout history, millions of Armenians fled to nearby countries to escape political and religious persecutions taking place in their homeland as a result of foreign invasions. Armenians became a product of the cultural circumstances they experienced in their respective host countries, whether it was living under Communist rule as a Soviet-Armenian or through the Islamic Revolution as an Iranian-Armenian. Political and economic problems forced many Armenians from around the world to immigrate to the United States in hopes of a better life. Today about 1 million to 1.5 million Armenians reside in the United States, of which the majority inhabit Southern California. The city of Los Angeles has became home to the largest diaspora of Armenians. This research aims to examine the following three communities of Armenians in Los Angeles: Armenian-Armenians, Iranian-Armenians, and Lebanese-Armenians. The objective of the research is to determine whether nationality impacts the political ideology of first-generation Armenian-Americans through the quantitative and qualitative analysis of surveys distributed to eligible participants.