A majority of Americans would not encourage a family member to join the military, according to a Defense Priorities/YouGov poll released Thursday.
Only 37% of respondents said they would encourage their family members to join the military, while 63% said they would not. according to Polls have shown that several branches of the military have been plagued by recruitment and retention problems in recent years, and the Defense Department continues to search for solutions. (Related: Officials say “several” U.S. soldiers injured in rocket attack on Iraqi military base)
Among those who said they would not encourage their family members to join the military, 57 percent cited “it's too dangerous” as the reason, while about 45 percent cited “the failure of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan” as a reason not to enlist, according to the poll.
New Poll—Defense Priorities commissioned a survey to gauge public sentiment on pressing foreign policy issues.
The data reveals a disconnect between Washington policies and the preferences of the American public.
See the results here: https://t.co/rGVpOXtQCg
— Defense Priorities (@defpriorities) August 8, 2024
In 2018 vote A majority of Americans believe the US failed in the Iraq War, according to a Pew Research Center survey. another A Gallup poll conducted in 2022 found that 50% of Americans believe the Afghanistan war was a mistake, and a Defense Priorities/YouGov poll found that about 28% of respondents said “too many deployments” was the reason they would not serve in the military.
The culture of the military and the Pentagon is also one reason Americans don't encourage their families to join the military: About 22% of respondents said the military suffers from “political correctness,” and 41% said they don't trust the military.
The military has long been plagued by recruitment and retention issues across the service, with only the Marines and Space Force meeting their fiscal year 2023 recruiting goals, while the Army, Air Force and Navy fell short of expected enlistments by several thousand people. according to Go to Military.com.
The Marine Corps is expected to meet its recruiting goals for fiscal year 2024, and the Air Force and Army have also shown progress toward meeting their targets. according to According to Military Times, the Navy is expected to face manning shortages again this year.
The Defense Priorities/YouGov poll was conducted July 18-July 24 among 1,000 American adults.
The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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