Patriotism or Paychecks: Who Believes What About Why Soldiers Serve

Abstract

Although voluntary recruitment to the military is today the Western norm, we know little about citizens’ beliefs regarding service members’ reasons for joining. This article, reporting and analyzing the results of a nationally representative U.S. survey, rectifies this gap. We find that, despite the reality of market-based recruitment, many Americans continue to subscribe to an idealized image of service members as moved by self-sacrificing patriotism. This belief is most heavily concentrated among conservative Americans. Liberal Americans are more likely to believe that service members join primarily for economic reasons. Those furthest to the left are more inclined to aver that service members join chiefly to escape desperate circumstances. Perhaps most surprising, we discover a disconnect between respondents with military experience and their families: The former are more likely to acknowledge that pay and benefits are a primary motivation for service, whereas their families are more likely to embrace a patriotic service narrative.

The Psychological Readiness Model of Military Personnel to Take Risks during a Combat Deployment

“…Patriotism as a motive for choosing military service is constantly at the center of the discussion among researchers from different countries. Krebs & Ralston (2020) argues that many Americans continue to subscribe to an idealized image of service members as moved by self-sacrificing patriotism. A unique example of the manifestation of patriotism is the volunteer movement of Ukrainian citizens in the first years (2014)(2015) of the War in the East of Ukraine, called the "dobrobaty" (volunteer battalions) (Stasiuk, 2018).…”

Patriotism as a Construct for Understanding Military Service Among LGBTQ+ Veterans: A Call for Research Grounded in Institutional Oppression

“…Also described within the Krebs & Ralston (2020) article was the distinct difference in perceptions of patriotism by civilians and family members of service members and those in military service. In context, military members did not report patriotism as a predominant factor for joining the military; however, civilians and the family members of service members said patriotism was a principal reason people served (Krebs & Ralston, 2020). It is also important to note that few studies about patriotism in military service and its effects on military service can be generalized due to limited research.…”

“…A 2020 research article about patriotism in military service, not specific to LGBTQ+ veterans, suggested that patriotism is often not a significant reason people offer for rationalizing their service in the military (Krebs & Ralston, 2020). The article also discussed how patriotism was more of a factor for people enlisting in the military after the September 11, 2001 (09/11), terrorist attacks; more people reported patriotism as a reason to enlist.…”

No Right to Be Wrong: What Americans Think about Civil-Military Relations

“…People who trust an institution are also more likely to defer to its leading members' judgment and to wish to grant that institution autonomy and to minimize intrusive oversight of it. Political liberals conversely would be less deferential to the military and more sensitive to officers' intrusion into policy debate (Krebs and Ralston 2020).…”