1. The Institutional Presence of the Military and Youth Enlistment.
- Author
-
Kleykamp, Meredith A.
- Subjects
RECRUITING & enlistment (Armed Forces) ,HIGH school graduates ,DECISION making ,ARMED Forces - Abstract
This study examines the factors associated with voluntary enlistment in the military at a time when fewer and fewer youth have significant contact with the institution of the military. This paper extends previous work on enlistment decision making in two ways. Using data from a recent cohort of high school graduates from the state of Texas, we can better understand the correlates of military enlistment in a time when enlistees have a real expectation of combat. More importantly, this analysis incorporates the concept of the ?institutional presence? of the military into the study of voluntary enlistment among youth. The institutional presence of the military measures the likelihood of social contact with the institution, and is hypothesized to affect the decision to enlist, such that the higher the institutional presence of the military, the more likely an individual is to enlist. Results from a multilevel multinomial logistic regression model confirm the hypothesis that a higher military institutional presence increases the odds of enlisting in the military relative to enrolling in college, becoming employed, or doing some other activity after high school. These findings suggest that future research should incorporate the concept of institutional presence into analyses of military enlistment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2004
- Full Text
- View/download PDF