Civilnet
By Siranush Adamyan
The Armenian Armed Forces and the Armenian Apostolic Church enjoy the highest public confidence in the country, with approval ratings of 66.4% and 62.5% respectively, according to a new sociological survey by the ARAR Center for Civilizational Studies published on Tuesday.
The poll, conducted via Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI) between October 5 and 25, included 1,123 respondents across Armenia.
Institutions and trust
The police ranked third with a 54.6% satisfaction rate. By contrast, only 39.5% of respondents expressed satisfaction with the government, and half (50%) said they were dissatisfied with the National Assembly.
The church received its strongest support from younger generations (82.5% among Gen Z respondents) and urban residents (67.1%). Young people also expressed the highest confidence in the armed forces, at around 70%.
Discontent with the National Assembly was most pronounced among those aged 45–60 and among socially vulnerable groups (62.7%).
Politics and policy
A majority (51.8%) believe the Armenian authorities are pursuing the wrong foreign policy, while 62.7% say the government’s domestic policy is misguided. Dissatisfaction was highest among low-income respondents—68.3% and 75.4% respectively—indicating a strong link between social insecurity and political discontent.
Some 69.2% of respondents said they do not believe lasting peace with Azerbaijan can be achieved through negotiations, while 30.5% said they do. More than 70% of people aged 18–44 said peace was unattainable.
Regarding the preliminary peace agreement reportedly brokered by former U.S. President Donald Trump in August, 65.1% said such a deal would not bring real peace, while 33.7% were more optimistic.
Church, constitution, and defense
About 35.1% of respondents supported the adoption of a new Constitution, and nearly half (49%) said they would heed a call for unity from the Armenian Apostolic Church in light of recent criticism directed at it.
A vast majority (80.2%) opposed any cuts to the military’s budget or personnel in the event of a peace treaty, while 19.1% supported reductions. As for Russia’s 102nd military base in Gyumri, 64% opposed its withdrawal, and 32.1% favored it.
The survey also found that 78.6% of respondents were against the return of former authorities to power.
An overwhelming 91.3% rejected the idea of changing Armenia’s Constitution under Azerbaijani pressure in exchange for peace. Nearly half (48.5%) said Azerbaijan’s long-term goal is Armenia’s complete destruction, while smaller shares saw its aims as establishing peaceful relations (17.4%), weakening Armenia’s independence (15%), or annexing part of its territory (13.7%).
Foreign alignment preferences
When asked about defense alliances, 37.8% said Armenia should maintain a military partnership with Russia, 18.3% favored the United States, 17.5% Iran, 15.9% EU member states, and 5.4% India.
Support for continued alignment with Russia was strongest among rural residents (42.8%) and those with lower incomes (54.2%).
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