2003 IMTA Proceedings - International Military Testing Association

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For all three surveys, single-stage, nonproportional stratified random-sampling
procedures were used to ensure adequate sample sizes for the reporting categories. The initial
sample for the 1999 ADS consisted of 66,040 individuals drawn from the sample frame
constructed from DMDC’s May 1999 Active-Duty Master Edit File. The survey was distributed
between August 1999 to January 2000. Completed surveys were received from 33,189 eligible
military members. The overall weighted response rate for eligible members, corrected for
nonproportional sampling, was 51%.
The initial sample for the July 2002 SOFS consisted of 37,918 individuals drawn from
the sample frame constructed from DMDC’s December 2001 Active-Duty Master Edit File. The
July 2002 SOFS was conducted July 8 to August 13, 2002. Completed surveys were received
from 11,060 eligible members, yielding an overall weighted response rate, corrected for
nonproportional sampling, of 32%.
The initial sample for the March 2003 SOFS consisted of 34,929 individuals drawn from
the sample frame constructed from DMDC’s August 2002 Active-Duty Master Edit File. The
March 2003 SOFS was conducted March 10 to April 21, 2003. Completed surveys were
received from 10,828 eligible respondents. The overall weighted response rate for eligible
members, corrected for nonproportional sampling, was 35%.
Data from all three surveys were weighted to reflect the population of interest. These
weights reflect (1) the probability of selection, (2) a nonresponse adjustment factor to minimize
bias arising from differential response rates among demographic subgroups, and (3) a
poststratification factor to force the response-adjusted weights to sum to the counts of the target
population as of the month the sample was drawn and to provide additional nonresponse
adjustments.
The 1999 ADS was an omnibus personnel survey covering such topics as military
assignments, retention issues, personal and military background, preparedness, mobilizations and
deployments, family composition, use of military programs and services, housing, perceptions of
military life, family and childcare concerns, spouse employment, financial information, and other
quality of life issues. In comparison, the July 2002 and March 2003 SOFS were somewhat
shorter surveys. Although the content of the three surveys was not identical, each included
questions pertaining to attitudes and behaviors, and all three surveys included questions
concerning Service members’ overall satisfaction with the military way of life and retention
intentions.
45 th Annual Conference of the International Military Testing Association
Pensacola, Florida, 3-6 November 2003