Surveys of Officer and Enlisted Personnel and Military Spouses, 1985 (ICPSR 6340)

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The two surveys that constitute this study -- the 1985 Survey of Officer and Enlisted Personnel (1985 Member Survey) and the 1985 Survey of Military Spouses (1985 Spouse Survey) -- were conducted in order to study various issues relating to military personnel. Areas of investigation included (1) the response of personnel to changes in military compensation and benefits enacted in previous years, (2) factors affecting readiness and retention of active duty personnel, (3) projected behavior of military personnel in response to possible changes in personnel management, (4) differences in career orientations, attitudes, and experiences among members of different subgroups, e.g., minorities, men, and women, (5) the demographic, household, familial, and other characteristics of military personnel, couples, and families, including special groups such as dual-career couples and single-parent families, (6) the impact of military policies on aspects of military and family life such as residential arrangements, continuing education, and spouse employment, (7) family well-being, including economic issues facing military families, and (8) demand for, use, and perceived adequacy of programs providing family services. Data collected by the Member Survey include branch of service, pay grade, military occupation, length of stay at current location, problems encountered at current location and in moving to the location, expected pay grade upon leaving the military, probable behavior under different personnel management options, civilian work experience and earnings, and the degree of satisfaction or dissatisfaction with various aspects of military life such as pay and allowances, personal freedom, acquaintances and friendships, work group and co-workers, assignment stability, environment for families, frequency of moves, retirement benefits, promotion opportunities, job training and in-service education, job security, medical care, and dental care. The Spouse Survey covered some of the subjects included in the Member Survey, but with differing levels of detail and emphasis. Attitudes gauged by the Spouse Survey include satisfaction/dissatisfaction with military housing, rights of civilian spouses, levels of demands made on civilian spouses, availability of job opportunities for civilian spouses, and childcare centers at military bases. Additional information gathered by the surveys includes sex, age, race, Hispanic origin, income and debt, marital status, educational attainment, number and ages of dependents, whether or not dependents were handicapped, and main language spoken at home. Data for the Member Survey and the Spouse Survey are supplied in separate files. A Couple File, comprising husband/wife pairs, contains merged data from both surveys.

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(1) The Defense Manpower Data Center has stipulated that users not attempt to link these data with other data records. (2) This data collection may not be used for any purpose other than statistical reporting and analysis. Use of these data to learn the identity of any person or establishment is prohibited. As explained in the ICPSR Processing Notes in the codebooks, ICPSR masked a number of variables in order to protect respondent privacy. To obtain the original, unmasked version of these variables, researchers must agree to the terms and conditions of a Restricted Data Use Agreement in accordance with existing ICPSR servicing policies.

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