Kirkland, James Ray2012-09-03b12762696http://hdl.handle.net/1885/9257Immigration to Australia has been very substantial since World War II. Some of the more recent arrivals have come from the Middle East. The Armenians are one such group, nine-tenths of whom have settled in Australia since 1962. This thesis has been a study of this Armenian migration and settlement in Australia with particular reference to their residential, occupational, social and psychological adjustment since arrival. Because the Armenians are a rare population on which very little information - including any official statistics - was available, it was necessary to undertake a social survey for the collection of data. The Sydney Armenians, the largest population group in Australia, was selected for this Survey to make it as representative as possible of the overall Australian Armenian population. Data collection was conducted in two stages - a postal questionnaire "census" of all known Sydney Armenian households and a follow-up fieldwork period of six months during which intensive interviews were conducted. In all, a study population of 890 respondents was obtained, of whom 97 were interviewed. The Armenian population of Sydney at the time of the Survey was estimated at no more than 7,000 individuals, while a generous estimate of the Australian Armenian population would have been no more than 10,000. Although quite diverse and having originated in 43 different countries at arrival in Australia they were for the most part urban dwellers of skilled and white-collar occupations and with a fair amount of formal schooling (considering their countries of origin). Moreover, most had acquired some facility with the English language before arrival. These characteristics, combined with the fact that most of the Armenian migration was of the nature of family reunion or chain movement, have resulted in a very rapid adjustment to life in Australia. Becoming satisfactorily adjusted in the various spheres of life, however, does not mean these first generation immigrants v have tended to assimilate into Australian society. In fact, just the opposite appears to have occurred. Rapid and successful adjustment, characterized by the reestablishment to the greatest extent possible of their overseas existence, has tended to serve as a barrier to assimilation by not requiring them to change to become more like Australians. It is unlikely therefore that the Sydney Armenians, as a group, will undergo substantial assimilation until the second or subsequent generationsen-AU198010.25911/5d78dbefdffdf