KHACHATUR ABOVYAN ARMENIAN STATE PEDAGOGICAL UNIVERSITY

“The list of countries and organizations that are most negatively disposed to Armenia and its problems is topped by Azerbaijan /92,2%/, Turkey /90,4%/ and the Islamic State /49,1%/,” Candidate of Philosophy Hovhannes Hovhannisyan said during a press conference held at Armenian State Pedagogical University (ASPU).

A survey of public opinion to reveal overall attitudes and moods towards the Armenian Genocide was conducted jointly by Hovhannes Hovhannisyan and Hasmik Hovhannisyan, Head of the ASPU Chair of Philosophy and Logic. On February 3, they presented the results of the survey carried out by an ASPU team and data on public opinion in the report “Peculiarities of Perception of Armenian Genocide: Psychological and Ideological Aspects of Public Opinion.”

The survey was conducted between March 15 and April 15, 2015. “The aim of the survey was to reveal general reactions and attitudes to the Armenian Genocide which was masterminded and perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire, study social attitudes and opinions towards mitigating and eliminating the consequences of the Armenian Genocide,” Hovhannes Hovhannisyan said. Some 560 resident of Yerevan participated in the opinion poll. The respondents were also asked to express an opinion on different countries and political structures. The results of the survey show France leading the list of most friendly countries, with 82.5 percent of respondents showing their liking and positive attitude towards the country. Russia (73.2%) is the second on the list, followed by Italy (63.8%), Greece (60.7%) and Germany (56.1%).

In reply to the question what moods and feelings collective memories aroused among the respondents, Hovhannes Hovhannisyan said, “Some 91.2 percent of those surveyed said they are optimistic towards the future, while 88.2 percent have feelings of anger, protest and retribution and 76.2 percent have feelings of pity, pain, and depression.”
Also, 62,7% think historical territories of Armenia should be returned to Armenians, viewing this as one of the best options for eliminating the consequences of the 1915 Genocide. Some 48% say Turkey must recognize and condemn the Armenian Genocide, 27% believe Turkey is to provide material and financial compensation to the heirs of the Genocide victims and organize their resettlement in their historical homeland while 24,6% claim that Turkey must recognize the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.

The survey shows France (81,1%) topping the list of countries and organizations that are positively disposed towards Armenia and its problems. The Russian Federation comes second with 68,6%, followed by Greece (55,0%), the United Nations (51,6%) and Italy (47,3%).

“We obtained interesting data during the survey which obliges us to conduct periodical surveys on the subject to see and compare the data,” added Hasmik Hovhannisyan.

Summing up the results of the survey, they noted that public opinion data received by pollsters should not be perceived or interpreted as ‘expert opinion.’ But the data received during the public opinion research of most important public concerns can become material for more in-depth expert analysis and review, enhancing the effectiveness of programmes and policies in the given field.