Less than one-third of military families still recommend joining the Armed Forces, marking a 40 percent drop since 2016, a survey from a military advocacy group has found.
According to data gathered by Blue Star Families and Syracuse University’s Institute for Veterans and Military Families, family members of active duty servicemembers cite poor job opportunities, insufficient mental health services, and pressing economic concerns as the primary reasons for the declining enthusiasm for military enlistment.
In 2016, polling found that 55 percent of Blue Star families actively endorsed military service. In 2023, the latest study, which examined the responses from 7,400 active-duty troops, National Guard members, and reserve family members, that number had fallen to just 32 percent.
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As reported by Military.com, the top issue reported by respondents was time spent away from family. However, economic factors like inflation-induced food insecurity and rising housing costs also ranked highly on the list.
“According to the Blue Star survey, 73 percent of active duty-affiliated respondents were paying more than $200 a month out-of-pocket for civilian housing options, and 48 percent of active-duty families noted they had financial stress stemming from general housing costs,” the site reported.
“We are still in credit card debt from our PCS,” one active-duty Army spouse who took the survey noted. “Cost of living is rising. My children are young and need balanced meals. I spend my entire civilian paycheck on child care. We buy cheap food and skip where we can.”
Additionally, nearly 50 percent of respondents were concerned with spousal employment, 38 percent cited time spent away from family, 37 percent mentioned decreasing pay, and 33 percent worried about the lack of education opportunities for children.
Connor Walcott is a staff writer for Valuetainment.com. Follow Connor on X and look for him on VT’s “The Unusual Suspects.”
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