Patterns and Trends in Propensity to Enlist in the Military: Findings from the 1988 Youth Attitude Tracking Study 2

Abstract

This report examines the expressed propensity of youth to enlist in the active or Reserve components of the Armed Services. Data were drawn primarily from the 1988 administration of the Youth Attitude Tracking Study (YATS), a 30-minute, computer-assisted telephone interview. Approximately 11,000 16- to 24-year-old men and women, representing a population of 16.7 milion, were interviewed. Because the purpose of the study was to track attitudes of youth most likely to enlist, more males than females were interviewed, and individuals who had more than two years of postsecondary education or who were already committed to military service were not included in the study. Thus, nearly all (85 percent) of the 16- to 17-year-olds were represented, while only 30 percent of the 22- to 24-year-olds were represented. Key questions in YATS address youth's plans for the next few years. Respondents were asked specifically about the likelihood that they would be serving in the active or Reserve components of each of the Armed Services. Enlistment propensity is reported as the percentage of youth indicating they would 'definitely' or 'probably' enlist in the next few years. Keywords: Reports, Military publications, Periodicals.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 01, 1989
Accession Number
ADA221634

Entities

Organizations

  • RTI International

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Active Duty
  • Age Distribution
  • Air National Guard
  • Commerce
  • Department Of Defense
  • Employment
  • Enlisted Personnel
  • Ethnic Groups
  • Families (Human)
  • Market Research
  • Military Personnel
  • Minority Groups
  • National Guard
  • Regression Analysis
  • Statistical Analysis
  • Surveys
  • United States

Fields of Study

  • Education

Readers

  • Medical or Health Care Field.
  • Military Mobilization and Reserve Forces Studies.
  • STEM Education