GIBRAHAYER’S FIRST ONLINE MINI-SURVEY REVEALS…

Gibrahayer
24 September, 2008
Nicosia

Gibrahayer e-magazine’s first online survey has provided interesting
information about our community that may help decision-making bodies
to re-assess their mission in our island.

No doubt, there are aspects of the survey itself that could be
organised in a different way. Subscribers have come forward with
new ideas, to include more questions, to have more options and use
different models and approaches.

The few people actively involved with Gibrahayer’s publications
probably could not undertake a bigger survey. In order to accomplish
this we will need volunteers. You can begin by sending to us an
email and we will do our best to put people and questions together
and organise a bigger survey.

The survey that we publicise today, probably has certain
shortcomings. We start with the very fact that this was an ONLINE
survey and not a telephone or postal one. We are certain that we would
have had similar shortcomings if the survey was conducted over the
phone. Would the interviewees truthfully answer the questions put to
us? Perhaps an online survey better catered for anonymity.

Nevertheless, Gibrahayer’s first online survey IS a reality and here
are YOUR results, which provide a near indication and some trends in
our community.

ONLINE SURVEY RESULTS

Despite our Christian values and pride as the first Christian nation,
only 18% regularly attend Church, almost 6% never attend Church and
the rest attend Church a few times a year on christenings, weddings
and funerals.

Despite attempts in recent years to increase Greek learning at the
expense of Armenian and English, 54% of parents wanted to send their
children to English secondary private schools with 0% to a Greek
Cypriot Gymnasium.

Despite talk of regression of the Armenian language, 70% said that
they spoke Armenian best, better than Greek or English.

Despite a close contest in the elections of a few years ago, Armenian
MP Vartkes Mahdessian was rated with a combined positive vote of "good"
and "excellent" taking 66% while 23% did not give an opinion and 11%
declared that they found the MP’s work "unsatisfactory".

Despite the size of the community and ongoing talk that community
functions are not attended well, only 13% declared they do not attend
events and 10% that they attended less than three functions a year.

Despite the fact that 18% skipped the question, Cypriot political
parties received the following preferences. DIKO 34%, DISY 29%,
AKEL 25%, EDEK 15%.

Despite 14% skipping the questions the Gibrahayer placed themselves,
19% right-wing, 24% center-right, 49% center-left and 9% communist.

Despite efforts by the "graduating" Hokapartsoutiun to show that
there are minimal problems in Nareg, only 4% found Nareg’s mission
extremely good, 25% very good, while 71% gave Nareg a negative vote
between "could be much better" (51%) and very bad (20%).

Despite being labelled upper Middle-class, almost 30% said they were
just making ends meet, 5% not making ends meet, 10% said that money
was not an issue, while one in two stated they were simply living
comfortably.

Despite the fact that Armenian Cypriots declare being chezok (neutral)
and almost 18% skipped the question, when asked if they were to vote
which Armenian political party they would vote for, Ramgavars collected
14%, Henchagians, 13%, Communists 5% and ARF Dashnaktsoutiun 70%.