Enlistment Motivations of Army Reservists: Money, Self-Improvement, or Patriotism?

Abstract

Although a number of researchers have examined active-force enlistment at both the aggregate and individual levels, relatively little work has been done on reserve enlistment motivations at the individual level. This study uses a log-linear model to profile the self-reported motivations of male U.S. Army Reserve recruits as a function of age, educational attainment, mental category, and plans to transfer to the active Army. The empirical results suggest that there are several differently motivated subgroups of Army Reserve recruits and that the Army Reserve may play a significant role in active-Army recruiting.