Operation Iraqi Freedom - Troop Morale Survey

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Operation Iraqi Freedom - Troop Morale Survey

Monday, April 26, 2004

Some of you may have seen this already. It's a report put together by Charles Moskos - a world famous behavioral scientist (Northwestern University) who did extensive work on the all volunteer force and Army behaviors over time. I'll just post the survey results without editorial.

Subject: FW: OIF Survey report
31 March 2004

To: General John P. Abizaid, Central Command

From: Charles Moskos

Subject: Follow-Up Report on Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF)

This is a follow-up to the preliminary report on OIF dated 14 Dec 2003. Attached the tables of the OIF survey we conducted in December when in theater. The responses of our soldiers are much more positive than those usually reported in the media. Some highlights are given below.

1. The morale of the soldiers was higher than anticipated. In fact, junior enlisted and NCOs report almost identical morale as their WWII counterparts (table #17)! Not the officers though.

2. The survey data reinforce the interview data given in the preliminary report. Namely, reserve components had markedly lower morale than the active duty, BUT, the survey data show that RC lower morale is mainly due to the perception they are treated as second-class members of the Army (tables #3, #7, #8, #9), NOT with the mission itself (tables #1 and #2). This, in a sense, is good news because the problem is fixable. A listing of RC perceptions were covered in the preliminary report.

3. Compared to surveys conducted in earlier deployments in Haiti, Bosnia and Kosovo, the OIF soldiers are more optimistic about what their mission will accomplish (table #15).

4. A significant percentage report that OIF had made them more religious and regularly attended religious services. The role of the chaplaincy is central to troop morale and one that ought be supported further (table #12).

5. An open-ended question asked for the most difficult thing of the mission (table #20). Leading complaints were separation from family and climate; no big surprises there.

I placed the report within the Extended Section of this post:

December 2003 Sociological Survey on Operation Iraqi Freedom Results April 2004 and Demographics

Total surveyed: 389 soldiers serving in Iraq, Kuwait and Qatar

53% Active
23% Reserve
23% Guard

Primarily Deployed in:

16% Northern Iraq
42% Central Iraq/Baghdad
6% Southern Iraq
21% Kuwait
8% Qatar
7% Multiple locations

41% Enlisted
45% NCOs
14% Officers

87% Men
12% Women

10% Hispanic
18% Black
61% White
3% Asian
10% Other

1. How do you feel about the decision to deploy U.S. military forces to Iraq?
	Active	Reserve	Guard
Strongly agree	18%	23%	24%
Agree	36	37	42
Not sure	26	19	14
Disagree	12	16	19
Strongly disagree	8	5	1
Total	100%	100%	100%

2. How do you think Iraq is now?
	Active	Reserve	Guard
Better off than before the war	62%	73%	67%
The same as before	22	20	20
Worse off than before	16	7	13
Total	100%	100%	100%

3. How well do you feel your training prepared you for this deployment?
	Active	Reserve	Guard
Very well	14%	17%	9%
Well	31	13	13
Adequate	34	29	32
Not well enough	14	26	22
Poorly	8	16	24
Total	100%	100%	100%

4. What is your general opinion of the local people where you have primarily served?
	Active	Reserve	Guard
Mostly positive	14%	18%	21%
Somewhat positive	16	19	15
Mixed positive and negative	56	43	48
Somewhat negative	5	5	7
Mostly negative	4	6	6
Have had little or no contact	6	10	2
Total	100%	100%	100%

5. Has your attitude toward Muslims changed since you came over here?
	Hispanic	Black	White
Much more positive	11%	6%	4%
A bit more positive	11	6	13
No change	60	77	49
A bit more negative	3	9	17
Much more negative	14	2	17
Total	100%	100%	100%

6. Which of the following most accurately reflects your feelings on American Muslim soldiers?
	Hispanic	Black	White
I’d prefer to have a Muslim soldier in my unit	0%	6%	4%
I don’t care whether or not there is a Muslim soldier in my unit or not	94	86	81
I’d prefer not to have a Muslim soldier in my unit	6	8	14
Total	100%	100%	100%

7. If it were possible to volunteer for this deployment and you had not been assigned, would you have volunteered?
	Active	Reserve	Guard
Definitely yes	21%	25%	15%
Probably yes	26	15	19
Not sure	11	15	13
Probably not	15	11	21
Definitely not	27	35	32
Total	100%	100%	100%

8. What effect do you think this mission will have on your decision to reenlist/remain in the service?
	Active	Reserve	Guard
It will make me more likely to reenlist/remain	6%	7%	2%
It will have little impact on my decision	37	19	21
It will make me less likely to reenlist/remain	49	63	67
Not sure	8	11	10
Total	100%	100%	100%

9. In general, how do you feel about Army life?
	Active	Reserve	Guard
I like it very much	28%	15%	7%
I like it somewhat	43	49	44
I dislike it somewhat	19	22	31
I dislike it very much	10	15	19
Total	100%	100%	100%

10. In general, how do you feel most of the time, in good spirits or low spirits?
	Active	Reserve	Guard
Usually low	12%	16%	13%
Sometimes good and sometimes low	45	51	44
Usually good	43	34	44
Total	100%	100%	100%

11. Has being deployed here had an effect on your religious feelings?
Made me more religious	26%
Had no effect on my religious feelings	67
Made me less religious	7
Total	100%

12. Role of chaplains

1/3 of active duty soldiers and over 1/2 of reserve/guard soldiers

have attended a religious service by a chaplain,

1/4 of those attendees attend service weekly.

23% have had a chaplain help them with personal issues

while on the deployment

13. How often did you use email or the Internet in Iraq? [for those who served in Iraq]
Daily	32%
Weekly	32
Monthly	10
Rarely or never	26
Total	100%

14. Top factors rated as “very important to morale” on this deployment

1. Communication with friends and family

2. My buddies

3. Spouse’s/partner’s attitude toward deployment

4. Support of the American people

15. How do you think [country of deployment] will be after American soldiers leave?
	Haiti (1994)	Bosnia (1996)	Haiti (1997)	Bosnia (1998)	Kosovo (2000)	Iraq (2003)
Better off than before	60%	35%	16%	33%	33%	65%
The same as before	36	59	47	57	55	22
Worse off than before	4	6	37	10	12	13
Total	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%

16. If it were possible to volunteer for this deployment and you had not been assigned, would you have volunteered?
	Haiti (1994)	Bosnia (1996)	Haiti (1997)	Bosnia (1998)	Kosovo (2000)	OIF (2003)
Definitely/ Probably yes	45%	38%	48%	58%	58%	43%
Not Sure	10	13	6	8	9	12
Definitely/ Probably not	45	49	46	34	33	45
Total	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%

All mission survey data from Moskos/Miller research.

17. In general, how do you feel most of the time, in good spirits or low spirits?
	WWII Enlisted	OIF Enlisted	WWII NCO	OIF NCO	WWII Officer	OIF Officer
Usually low	15%	18%	7%	8%	2%	14%
Sometimes good/low	55	52	45	46	24	35
Usually good	30	30	48	46	74	51
Total	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%

Question and WWII results from Samuel A. Stouffer, et al., The American Soldier (1949, p. 69)

18. Percent rating the following objectives to be “very important”
	OIF Soldiers 2003	2-Year College Freshmen 2001	University Freshmen 2001
Raising a family	82	67	74
Being well off financially	72	76	73
Integrating spirituality in my life	54	34	46

19. Percent rating self “above average” as compared with average person of his/her age in the following categories
	OIF Soldiers 2003	2-Year College Freshmen 2001	University Freshmen 2001
Academic abilities	50	39	78
Computer skills	40	29	39
Physical health	68	46	60

Freshmen survey from 2001 annual survey conducted by Cooperative Research Program, American Council on Education.

20. What has been the most difficult thing to adapt to on this mission?

Answers volunteered by more than one soldier:

Nothing - 6

Home
Separation from family - 67
Lack of communication with home/family - 5
Being away from civilian employment/business (for reservists/guard) - 4

Physical
Climate/environment (extreme heat, sand, flies) - 58
Living conditions - 24
Lack of equipment, materials, supplies, initially food & water - 15
No alcohol - 3

Leadership
Poor/lack of leadership - 26
Lack of important information/misinformation from higher ups- 18
Lack of mission/goal - 11
Treatment by/attitude of superiors - 8
“Being caged in like a prisoner”/feeling jailed - 2

Deployment
Not knowing/shifting return date - 14
Length of deployment (1 year) - 12
Active/reserve/guard integration, reserves/guard treated poorly - 12
Change/ambiguity - 8
Consecutive deployments - 2

Work
Working conditions/Long hours/no downtime/freetime/time off - 14
Coming under fire/attack/IEDs - 12
Performing a different MOS than holding - 6
Unprepared, not trained for missions required - 5
Too many people deployed/not enough work - 4
Shift from combat to non-combat ops - 4
Fighting low intensity conflict/urban ops/guerilla tactics - 3
Monotony/boredom - 3

Iraq
Local population, civil-military relations - 12
Seeing poverty/local conditions - 3
Sense of wasted time/effort in Iraq - 4

Peers
Peers (complaining, personality differences, new, etc) - 8
Death/injury of fellow soldiers - 5
Constant/close contact with others - 4

Acknowledgements. Special thanks goes to Gen. John P. Abizaid, CENTCOM, who initiated this trip for our research team. We are indebted to Chaplain (LTC) Franklin Wester who made the initial arrangements possible. Chaplain Wester’s collegiality and insights were invaluable. We also wish to thank Chaplain (LTC) Barry Presley who served as our escort officer and made possible the interviews and surveys in the various locales in theater. Finally, we thank Suzanne Hansford-Bowles for careful and precise survey data entry.
It was an honor to join OIF, even if only for a short time. The openness of the soldiers to a visiting research team was uplifting. We also believe that our visit served as a morale booster for the troops with whom we were privileged to spend time. Still, we understand that such trips require a tremendous amount of time and energy on the part of our hosts. We are extremely appreciative of the extraordinary assistance given us.
We gratefully acknowledge support from the Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences (ARI). This unique organization has consistently shown that doing good for the Army and doing good social research are one and the same. The mode and presentation of the data collection are the sole responsibility of the researchers and do not necessarily reflect the views of ARI or the U.S. military.

Contact: [email protected]

Posted by Blackfive on Monday, April 26, 2004 at 02:23 PM in Military | Permalink | Comments (1)

Comments

Subject: FW: OIF Survey report
31 March 2004

To: General John P. Abizaid, Central Command

From: Charles Moskos

Subject: Follow-Up Report on Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF)

This is a follow-up to the preliminary report on OIF dated 14 Dec 2003. Attached the tables of the OIF survey we conducted in December when in theater. The responses of our soldiers are much more positive than those usually reported in the media. Some highlights are given below.

1. The morale of the soldiers was higher than anticipated. In fact, junior enlisted and NCOs report almost identical morale as their WWII counterparts (table #17)! Not the officers though.

2. The survey data reinforce the interview data given in the preliminary report. Namely, reserve components had markedly lower morale than the active duty, BUT, the survey data show that RC lower morale is mainly due to the perception they are treated as second-class members of the Army (tables #3, #7, #8, #9), NOT with the mission itself (tables #1 and #2). This, in a sense, is good news because the problem is fixable. A listing of RC perceptions were covered in the preliminary report.

3. Compared to surveys conducted in earlier deployments in Haiti, Bosnia and Kosovo, the OIF soldiers are more optimistic about what their mission will accomplish (table #15).

4. A significant percentage report that OIF had made them more religious and regularly attended religious services. The role of the chaplaincy is central to troop morale and one that ought be supported further (table #12).

5. An open-ended question asked for the most difficult thing of the mission (table #20). Leading complaints were separation from family and climate; no big surprises there.

I placed the report within the Extended Section of this post:

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