Parents' Perceptions of Their Influence on Youths' Enlistment Decisions
Abstract
Results from a survey conducted to determine the nature and extent of parental influence on the military enlistment decisions of American youth revealed that, if efforts aimed at parents are undertaken, the Services should concentrate on parents whose aspirations for their children include jobs that use skills provided by Armed Services training. Overall results point to a general lack of importance of perceived parental influence on children's decisions to enlist in the Armed Services. Perceived successful influence in either direction was found relatively rarely. Only 16 % of parents interviewed reported success in influencing their children, 12 % toward and 4 % away from enlistment. Moreover, for those who perceived themselves as successfully influencing their children, analyses suggested existence of a complex underlying phenomenon. Seven factors found to bear a statistically significant relationship to perceived successful influence toward enlistment included: sex of child, child's type of school or college, parent's aspirations for child's occupation, rating of military benefits, rating of the military as providing valuable skills, rating of the military on opportunity for advancement, and knowledge of military's two-for-one educational contribution program.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 1983
- Accession Number
- ADA185419