Motivators and Barriers to Recruiting Prior Service Members in the IRR

Abstract

Given the reliance of military recruiting efforts on prior service enlistments, it is imperative that motivators and barriers to prior service recruiting receive greater research attention. This research applied the theory of planned behavior ( Ajzen, 1991, 2001) to predict prior service members’ intentions to join the Reserve, thereby advancing research beyond post hoc evaluation of existing recruitment strategies. Results indicated that prior service members in the Individual Ready Reserve were more likely to intend to join the Reserve if they held positive attitudes toward the Reserve and felt that alternative careers compared negatively against military service. Commitment mediated the relationship between satisfaction and Reserve intentions and perceived social support had a greater effect on Reserve intentions when influence of relevant others was high.

• individual ready reserve
• prior service
• recruiting
• retention
• theory of planned behavior

View correction statement:

Correction to Wiggins, Evans, Luchman, and Gibson (2014)

This article refers to:

Correction to Wiggins, Evans, Luchman, and Gibson (2014)

Notes

1 An equal number of sample members would have been selected from of the 12 strata (“equal allocation”; Levy & Lemeshow, 1999), but some strata (e.g., Coast Guard officers) were very small. Therefore, a census was taken of the smaller strata and the remaining sample was divided equally among the largest four strata (Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force enlisted).

2 RR3 is computed as eligible respondents divided by number of eligible sample members ( American Association for Public Opinion Research, 2011). The number of eligible sample members is the sum of: eligible respondents, eligible nonrespondents, and the product of e and unknown cases. The coefficient e was calculated as the proportion of known cases that were eligible.