Significant survey

"A survey of this scope has never been undertaken on the Zoroastrian community before and is unlikely to be repeated for many years. As well as providing a detailed picture of the community as it exists today, the data collected will provide a benchmark against which any future research can be compared,” notes an introduction to the Gen Z and Beyond survey launched on the Shahenshahi New Year, August 16, 2021. The survey aspires to cover 100% of the global Zoroastrian community aged over 18 years. This major survey started at an estimated cost of USD 250,000 (Rs 1.87 crore) for which 85% of the funding has been received from a few private donors. This is being led by Dr Sarah Stewart, Shapoorji Pallonji Senior Lecturer in Zoroastrianism and co-chair of the Shapoorji Pallonji Institute for Zoroastrian Studies, established at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.
Demographic, behavioral and attitudinal data is sought through this survey from those who have either one or both Zoroastrian parents, at least one Zoroastrian grandparent and those with a Zoroastrian spouse. "We will be including non-Zoroastrian spouses of Zoroastrians in this survey because it is important to understand how they have integrated (or not) into the community and the role that they play in their children’s lives, especially if those children are being raised as Zoroastrians,” it is clarified on the website genzandbeyond.com.

Top l: Dr Sarah Stewart; above: North American associations divided into zones

Having received over 1,100 completed responses so far, "the survey will be live until September 2022. We are focusing our publicity efforts on one region at a time starting with North America. We move our focus to India from December through to February 2022 and the rest of the world from March 2022 onwards. We urge people to complete the survey as soon as they have registered. We want to avoid a large number of questionnaires coming in at the end of the survey,” stated Stewart when responding to queries from Parsiana.
"We are surprised that people have not been as responsive as we had anticipated. This may be because of the number of surveys that people are receiving generally or because they are simply too busy. Our message is that this is not like other surveys. It covers all aspects of life... of Zoroastrians around the world. It is digital and can therefore reach everyone. There won’t be another opportunity for a well-funded, academically-grounded survey anytime soon,” she added.
The data collected is expected to promote an understanding of the factors that have promoted or inhibited the growth and success of the community in different areas. This is meant "to inform and inspire local, regional and national Zoroastrian communities to develop future projects that will secure, strengthen and further the well-being of the community and religion.”
A working group comprising Toos Daruvala, Edul Daver, Dinyar Devitre, Nina Mistry, Arzan Wadia and Dr Rashna Writer will be responsible for assisting in the conduct of the survey. They will be aided by ambassadors from around the world who will generate awareness about the survey and ensure it is accessible to all Zoroastrians. Currently they are actively seeking ambassadors for the project in North America (NA) and request that anyone interested get in touch with their project manager, Dr Nazneen Engineer (ne16@soas.ac.uk). "We have divided NA into three zones for this purpose. In addition, we would like to recruit volunteers who would attend events at their local Zoroastrian center and make sure that people are signed up to take the survey,” urged Stewart hoping community members will visit their website and watch their short promotional film.
To access the survey, eligible Zoroastrians need to visit the website and sign up using their email address or mobile number following which they will receive their unique survey access link within two working days. The questionnaire may then be filled at the convenience of the respondent. "All responses to the online questionnaire are completely anonymous. Once the survey is completed your contact details will be permanently deleted from our records,” the respondent is assured. The survey will further be extended to those with no or limited access to technology. The success of the survey will depend on a high response rate, consistency of approach, and accuracy of data, realize those at the helm.