Enlistment Motivators for High Quality Recruits in the Army Reserve

This thesis investigates the relationship between the quality of recruits and the factors that influence their enlistment decision. Demographic variables, such as gender, educational level, marital status, and ethnic group, and quality are related to the propensity to enlist in the Army Reserves. The data were obtained from the 1987 New Recruit Survey of the Army Reserve recruits. The analysis attempts to study what significant differences, if any, there are in the enlistment decision of soldiers who score in the upper 50th percentile of the Armed Forces Qualification Test AFQT, and those that are in the lower half of the AFQT test results. The results of log-linear factor analysis indicate that educational benefits were important motivation for high quality recruits to enlist in the Army reserves. Log-linear analysis shows differences among demographic categories in their propensity for enlistment. Factor analysis identifies four underlying factors that influence a recruits enlistment decision. The four factors were both economic and non-economic and were labelled Self-Improvement, Skill Training, Military Service and Educational Money. The analysis showed significant difference among demographic categories in the importance fo these factors in their decision to enlist.