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Year of the Air Force Family 2009 Survey of Active-Duty Spouses Laura L. Miller, Sarah O. Meadows, Lawrence M. Hanser, Stephanie L. Taylor Prepared for the United States Air Force Approved for public release; distribution unlimited PROJECT AIR FORCE The research described in this report was sponsored by the United States Air Force under Contract FA7014-06-C-0001. Further information may be obtained from the Strategic Planning Division, Directorate of Plans, Hq USAF. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Year of the Air Force family : 2009 survey of active-duty spouses / Laura L. Miller ... [et al.]. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 978-0-8330-5096-0 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Air Force spouses—Services for—United States. 2. Air Force spouses—United States—Attitudes—Statistics. 3. Families of military personnel—Services for—United States—Statistics. I. Miller, Laura L., 1967- UG633.Y43 2011 358.4'1120973090511—dc22 2011002668 The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis. RAND’s publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors. R ® is a registered trademark. © Copyright 2011 RAND Corporation Permission is given to duplicate this document for personal use only, as long as it is unaltered and complete. Copies may not be duplicated for commercial purposes. Unauthorized posting of RAND documents to a non-RAND website is prohibited. RAND documents are protected under copyright law. For information on reprint and linking permissions, please visit the RAND permissions page (http://www.rand.org/publications/ permissions.html). Published 2011 by the RAND Corporation 1776 Main Street, P.O. Box 2138, Santa Monica, CA 90407-2138 1200 South Hayes Street, Arlington, VA 22202-5050 4570 Fifth Avenue, Suite 600, Pittsburgh, PA 15213-2665 RAND URL: http://www.rand.org To order RAND documents or to obtain additional information, contact Distribution Services: Telephone: (310) 451-7002; Fax: (310) 451-6915; Email: [email protected] Preface This report conveys the results of a telephone survey administered in summer 2009 to a random stratified sample of 802 spouses of active-duty airmen. The survey focused on specific problems families might face and factors associated with them, family use of recreational services, and attitudes about Air Force leadership and Air Force life. These findings informed organizational efforts during the 2009–2010 Year of the Air Force Family and beyond. The research described in this report was conducted by RAND Project AIR FORCE within its Manpower, Personnel, and Training Program as part of a fiscal year 2009 study, “Air Force Culture.” The Deputy Chief of Staff for Manpower and Personnel, Headquarters U.S. Air Force and its Airman and Family Services Branch sponsored the study. This report should be of interest to Air Force leadership, Air Force families themselves, as well as professionals and semiprofessionals who work both formally and informally with Air Force families. RAND Project AIR FORCE RAND Project AIR FORCE (PAF), a division of the RAND Corporation, is the U.S. Air Force’s federally funded research and development center for studies and analyses. PAF pro- vides the Air Force with independent analyses of policy alternatives affecting the development, employment, combat readiness, and support of current and future aerospace forces. Research is conducted in four programs: Force Modernization and Employment; Manpower, Personnel, and Training; Resource Management; and Strategy and Doctrine. Additional information about PAF is available on our website: http://www.rand.org/paf/ iii Contents Preface ........................................................................................................... iii Figures ........................................................................................................... ix Tables ............................................................................................................ xi Summary .......................................................................................................xiii Acknowledgments ........................................................................................... xvii Abbreviations .................................................................................................. xix CHAPTER ONE Introduction ..................................................................................................... 1 To Inform the Year of the Air Force Family .................................................................. 1 Organization of This Report .................................................................................... 2 CHAPTER TWO Sample and Methods ........................................................................................... 3 Sampling Design ................................................................................................. 3 Survey Administration .......................................................................................... 4 Characteristics of the Sample ................................................................................... 6 Residence........................................................................................................ 6 Children ......................................................................................................... 8 Spouse Education and Employment ......................................................................... 8 Deployment in the Previous Two Years ....................................................................10 Demographics ...................................................................................................10 Spouses of Officers and Spouses of Enlisted Airmen .....................................................10 Dual-Military and Civilian Spouses ........................................................................11 Residence On or Off Base ...................................................................................12 Those With Children and Those Without .................................................................12 Subgroup Differences in Survey Responses ................................................................12 CHAPTER THREE Problems Related to Children, Finances, Spouse’s Employment, and Associated Factors .......13 Children ..........................................................................................................14 Child Care, Education, and Well-Being for Military Children .........................................14 Air Force Child-Related Services ...........................................................................15 Specific Child-Related Problems and Subgroup Variations ..............................................16 Child-Related Problems and Deployment .................................................................17 Factors Associated with Child-Related Problems .........................................................17 v vi Year of the Air Force Family: 2009 Survey of Active-Duty Spouses Finances ..........................................................................................................19 Military Financial Problems .................................................................................19 Air Force Financial Education Programs and the Air Force Aid Society ............................. 20 Specific Financial Problems and Subgroup Variation ................................................... 20 Financial Problems and Deployment .......................................................................21 Factors Associated with Financial Problems .............................................................. 22 Employment .................................................................................................... 23 Employment of Military Spouses .......................................................................... 23 Air Force Spousal Employment Assistance ............................................................... 23 Specific Employment Problems and Subgroup Variation ............................................... 23 Employment Problems and Deployment .................................................................. 24 Factors Associated with Employment Problems ...........................................................25 Air Force Services to Assist Families with the Potential Negative Effects of Deployments ........... 26 Summary .........................................................................................................29 CHAPTER FOUR Selected Support Services, Perceptions About the Leadership, and Satisfaction with Air Force Life ..............................................................................................33 Leisure Time .....................................................................................................33 The 2006 Name Change from Family Support Center to Airman and Family Readiness Center ... 36 Preferred Means of Communication About Programs and Services ......................................37 Spouses’ Perceptions About the Leadership’s Concern for Air Force Families ...........................37 Satisfaction ...................................................................................................... 38 Organizational Commitment ................................................................................. 40 Summary ........................................................................................................ 40 CHAPTER FIVE Recommendations ............................................................................................ 43 Limitations of the Sample ..................................................................................... 43 Making Sense of the Survey Results ......................................................................... 44 Recommendations ..............................................................................................45 Offer Airmen Options that Minimize Geographic Relocation, When Possible, and Expand Support to Families During the PCS Process ..............................................45 Expand the Availability of Air Force Child Care ........................................................ 46 Offer More and/or Better Publicize After-School and Weekend Youth Activities ....................47 Ensure Recreational Programming Meets the Full Range of Interests Among Military Families, Including Nonathletic Activities............................................................47 Deepen Support to Families Experiencing Deployments ............................................... 48 Increase Awareness of Financial and Employment Programs and Services ........................... 48 Improve Employment Opportunities for Civilian Spouses ............................................. 48 Focus Communication on Preferred Electronic Methods and Air Force Publications ...............49 Ask Airmen to Provide Spouse Contact Information and Maintain that Information in the Administrative Personnel Files..................................................................49 Conclusion .......................................................................................................49 Contents vii APPENDIXES A. Air Force Spouse Survey Instrument ..................................................................51 B. Calculation of Response and Cooperation Rates ...................................................71 C. Construction of the Sample and of Sample Weights ...............................................73 Bibliography ....................................................................................................75