What Factors Affect the Military Enlistment of Hispanic Youth?
A Look at Enlistment Qualifications
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An ongoing concern of Congress, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), and the armed services is the social representation of the military, particularly of active duty accessions. Hispanics are a growing segment of the youth population yet have been underrepresented historically among military accessions. The widely cited reason is their below-average rate of graduation from high school and the services’ preference for diploma graduate recruits. But other less-studied factors may contribute. These other possible factors may include lack of language proficiency as reflected in their applicant aptitude test scores, fertility choices, health factors such as obesity, and involvement in risky activities such as the use of illegal drugs. These factors could adversely affect the ability of some Hispanic youth to meet service enlistment standards. The RAND Corporation project “Hispanic Youth in the United States and the Factors Affecting Their Enlistment” is conducting an analysis of the factors that lead to the underrepresentation of Hispanic youth in the military. This documented briefing summarizes interim results from the research effort’s first year. First, it highlights the various enlistments standards recruits must meet in each branch of service. Then using available data on American young adults, it summarizes the degree to which Hispanic youth qualify for service relative to youth who are members of other racial and ethnic groups. This documented briefing is intended for individuals interested in military recruiting and in the population representation of personnel in the armed forces.
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Introduction
Chapter Two
Year One, Task One: Cataloging Current Enlistment Standards
Chapter Three
Year One, Task Two: Assessing the Importance of Enlistment Standard Characteristics Among Hispanics
Chapter Four
Year One, Task Three: Examining How the Fraction Passing Enlistment Standards Has Changed Over Time
Chapter Five
Year Two: Remaining Research Tasks
Appendix A
Revising Estimates of Hispanic Representation in the 18- to 24-Year-Old Population
Appendix B
Enlistment Documents by Source
Appendix C
White and Black Males and Black, Hispanic, and White Females
Research conducted by
The research described in this report was prepared for the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD). The research was conducted in the RAND National Defense Research Institute, a federally funded research and development center sponsored by the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Joint Staff, the Unified Combatant Commands, the Department of the Navy, the Marine Corps, the defense agencies, and the defense Intelligence Community.
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