I__. - International Military Testing Association

- commissioned officers, 3,596 warrant officers, and 6,733 enlisted soldiers in the main sample. These data
have been weighted to be representative of the Army.
On the basis of both response rates and margins oi error, this survey provides accurate attitude
estimates for the entire Army and for relatively small subgroups. Response rates for the survey were
extremely good. Completed surveys were returned by 58% of the main sample. When adjusted for postal
non-delivery and late returns of completed surveys the overall response rate is 65% (80% of warrant officers,
76% of commissioned officers, and 51% of enlisted).
The overall margin of error is less than 1.3% indicating that 95% of the time a sample estimate of
50% is within 1.3% of how the entire population would respond if surveyed. Margins of error are also quite
small for each of the three main groups (1.3 for commissioned officers, 1.7 for warrant officers, and 1.6 for
enlisted) and for subgroups of soldiers defined by categories such as gender or rank.
Soldiers Are Positive About Themselves, Military Service, and Their Skills
Soldiers are positive about military service for themselves, There is a strong core of committed
soldiers (57% of commissioned officers, 63% of warrant officers, 45% of enlisted) who want to serve for 20
or more years even if they could retire earlier. For many of these soldiers, the kind of work they most enjoy
is available only or primarily in the military. This is most strongly characteristic of commissioned officers.
Soldiers are confident of their own job performance; over three quarters of them said they were well
prepared or very well prepared to perform the tasks in their wartime jobs. Three-quarters of soldiers also
rated their units as combat ready. Soldiers’ confidence in their job performance and military skills is also
reflected in their evaluation of civilian-relevant skills. When asked if they agreed or disagreed with the
statement “I have been taught valuable skills in the Army that I can use later in civilian jobs” 70% expressed
agreement. Soldiers were even more positive about the effects of their Army experiences on skills and
characteristics that would help them obfairz civilian jobs; 80% felt that the Army had a positive effect on
specific job knowledge, skills, and abilities, while 86% felt that the Army had a positive effect on personal
characteristics and attitudes. In another recent AR1 survey, Benedict (1990) found that even first-term
soldiers recognized the value of their Army experience with 64% to 77% rating the Army as having a positive
effect.
Despite the unsettling times of the first half of 1990, soldiers were positive about recommending
military service to others. When asked what they would tell a good friend who asked for advice on seeing a
military recruiter, soldiers were ttearly eight tirves as likely to tell them that it was a good idea (46%) as to tell
Iltetn that it was a waste of time (6%). The rest (47%) would tell their friend that it was up to him or her,
apparently recognizing that military service is not for everyone. When asked specifically about enlistment in
the Army, soldiers were twice as likely to recommend Army enlistment (60%) as enlistment in another
service (27%). Only 13% would recommend not enlisting in any military service. Even on the very personal
issue of their own children joining the military, soldiers were also fairly positive. Although less than onethird
would like to see their daughter join the military, over two-thirds would like to see their son join the
military at some point.
Army Downsizing and Career Opportunities
As we would expect, most ofticers (61% of commissioned and 55% of warrant) and many enlisted
(40%) said that the chances of war with the Soviet Union were reduced by recent changes in East Germany,
Hungary, Poland, and Czechoslovakia. However, there is still a perceived threat of war because of internal
problems in the Soviet Union (economic problems, Lithuanian independence movement, ethnic unrest and
20