Military Family Lifestyle Survey Reveals High Civic Engagement of Military Families in Time for Memorial Day

The Blue Star Families’ annual survey of more than 4,000 military families revealed that military families are engaged in civic and volunteer service at a significantly higher rate than the general population and that most support an all-volunteer force.

Among military families, 81 percent of respondents had volunteered in the last year. Among the general population, the rate of volunteerism is 26.8 percent (1). Impressively, ten percent of survey respondents volunteered over thirty hours a month.

The 2012 survey also revealed that military families vote at higher rates than the general population. Eighty-nine percent of survey respondents reported they are registered to vote and 82 percent report voting in the last Presidential election. In the 2008 election, only 64 percent of all voting-age citizens voted (2). Moreover, 91 percent of respondents believe it is an obligation as Americans to vote.

Other exciting findings were that 82 percent of respondents believe that the all-volunteer force has worked well and seventy-three percent support their service member’s continued military service. Sixty percent would advise a young person close to them to join the military and seventy percent expressed satisfaction with the military lifestyle.

“We find these to be very positive and powerful findings,” said Vivian Greentree, Ph.D., Director of Research and Policy. “Even after citing some substantial challenges and sacrifices associated with the military lifestyle, these families overwhelmingly supported continued service of their family member and would recommend military service to their own child or another close young person. It speaks to their belief in service, in that their families are doing something amazing, and that even given the sacrifices they make, they think it is worth it in the end to serve their country. The results of the survey in the area of community engagement show the true civic assets of the military community and the resilience that resides there.”

View the full survey here.

Past survey results have been cited by the White House, the First Lady and Congressional members, as well as presented to the Department of Defense and joint sessions of the Senate and House Military Family Caucuses.