Who Are We? Iranian-American Community Survey 2005

1. Who Are We? Iranian-American Community Survey 2005 Farzan Parsinejad, Ph.D. Iranian Studies Group at MIT http://web.mit.edu/isg/ Mehregan 3rd Annual Seminar: Reflections of Iranian Identity Through Time

2. What is ISG? • Iranian Studies Group (ISG) at MIT A non-partisan, non-profit, academic organization with the goal of promoting Iranian civil society through conducting research on issues related to the Iranian society in Iran and abroad • ISG Activities • ISG Research Projects • Iran Analysis Quarterly Journal • ISG Lecture Series • ISG aims • to bridge the gap between research, public knowledge, and policy-making • to create a network of academics, community leaders and interested individuals in Iran, the U.S., and other parts of the world

3. Organization Board of Directors Overseeing activities and general guidelines 5 academics and 2 business/community leaders Executive Board In charge of managing research strategy and tactics Currently 1 M.S., 2 Doctoral Students, 3 Ph.D.’s Research Associates Conducting research projects under supervision of executives Currently 10 Ph.D. Candidates, Academics and Professionals

4. Motivations of Survey • Census data not sufficient in understanding the characteristics, needs and concerns of individuals in the Iranian American community. • Assess the perception of individuals of Iranian ancestry of the Iranian American community and potential common values, needs and concerns. • The results of the survey can provide community leaders with information on how better serve the community

5. Survey Basics • Online between January-March 2005 • 3880 Valid Responses • 62.4% male respondents, 37.6% female respondents • Around 60% Naturalized U.S. Citizens (first generation IA), 12% U.S.-born, 12% permanent residents, 8% students , and the rest asylees, skilled workers, etc. • Average age of respondents between 35-49 • Average education of respondents, B.S. and then M.S. degree

6. Immigration Period

7. Ethnicity

8. Religion Diversity

9. Religion

10. Family Structure • If not single, more than 80% are married which is higher compared to the Nation. • 3% live with partner which is less than Nation • 15% are divorced which is less than the Nation • If divorced, the custody of children in 75% of the cases are by women

11. Family Structure: Spouse's Background

12. Language Spoken at Home

13. How Often Have Your Children Visited Iran?

14. Important Aspects of Iranian Culture in Children Education

15. Most Appealing Aspects of the Culture • Cuisine • Family values • Language, Traditions and Humor • Festivities, Traditional music, Popular music and Movies • Religion and Mysticism

16. Assimilation: Difficulty in Adjusting to Live in US

17. Frequency of Interaction with Iranians

18. Frequency of Socializing with Non-Iranians

19. Discrimination!!

20. Important Factors in Choosing Where to Live

21. Sources of News About Iran

22. Investment in Iran

23. Impediments to Our Unity

24. Finally, Who Are We?

25. Summary • The ISG Iranian-American Survey 2005 provides abundant information on the different aspects of the Iranian-American community and will be repeated every year with various foci. • The information presented here is only a selected overview of the survey results. Main results are to come: More on cross correlations Analysis

26. Acknowledgement Mehregan Foundation Mrs. Frances Nedjat Haiem Mr. Bruce Bahmani Ms. Noosheen Hashemi Dr. Akbar Mahdi Mr. Darr Hashempour Dr. Mohammad Ala Dr. Mohammad Navab Ms. Dokhi Fassihian Mr. Hossein Hosseini Mr. Behrouz Vakili Mr. Shahriar Afshar Dr. David Rahni Mr. Alireza Taghi

27. Demographic

28. Demographic

29. Demographic