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

2 Iranian Studies Group at MIT 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 Iranian Studies Group at MIT 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 Iranian Studies Group at MIT 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 Iranian Studies Group at MIT Survey Basics Online between January-March 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 Average education of respondents, B.S. and then M.S. degree

6 Iranian Studies Group at MIT Immigration Period

7 Iranian Studies Group at MIT Ethnicity

8 Iranian Studies Group at MIT Religion Diversity

9 Iranian Studies Group at MIT Religion

10 Iranian Studies Group at MIT 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 Iranian Studies Group at MIT Family Structure: Spouse's Background

12 Iranian Studies Group at MIT Language Spoken at Home

13 Iranian Studies Group at MIT How Often Have Your Children Visited Iran?

14 Iranian Studies Group at MIT Important Aspects of Iranian Culture in Children Education

15 Iranian Studies Group at MIT Most Appealing Aspects of the Culture 1.Cuisine 2.Family values 3.Language, Traditions and Humor 4.Festivities, Traditional music, Popular music and Movies 5.Religion and Mysticism

16 Iranian Studies Group at MIT Assimilation: Difficulty in Adjusting to Live in US

17 Iranian Studies Group at MIT Frequency of Interaction with Iranians

18 Iranian Studies Group at MIT Frequency of Socializing with Non-Iranians

19 Iranian Studies Group at MIT Discrimination!!

20 Iranian Studies Group at MIT Important Factors in Choosing Where to Live

21 Iranian Studies Group at MIT Sources of News About Iran

22 Iranian Studies Group at MIT Investment in Iran

23 Iranian Studies Group at MIT Impediments to Our Unity

24 Iranian Studies Group at MIT Finally, Who Are We?

25 Iranian Studies Group at MIT 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 Iranian Studies Group at MIT 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 Iranian Studies Group at MIT Demographic

28 Iranian Studies Group at MIT Demographic

29 Iranian Studies Group at MIT Demographic

30 Iranian Studies Group at MIT