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 reportI placed the report within the Extended Section of this post: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.
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]