Recreation and the retention decisions of armed forces personnel

Abstract

This article proposes a theoretical model that describes the effects of recreation on an individual's decision to remain in a career, specifically in the U.S. Navy. A second purpose is to develop and test an empirical model that includes a variety of leisure and recreation factors that potentially impact on the retention decisions. The findings of this analysis are compared with previous studies on retention, recreation, and the Armed Forces.

Partial Least Squares (PLS) is the structural modeling technique ultimately imposed and empirically tested on a random stratified subsample (n = 869) of active duty Navy personnel. The instrument from which the data are drawn, the U.S. Navy Leisure Needs Survey, is a researcher‐constructed, self‐reported, forced‐choice questionnaire.

Generally, the model of the effects of recreation tested in the study tended to be confirmed, supporting the proposition that perceptions of Navy recreation and club programs and facilities indirectly, but positively, influence the decision to remain in the Navy. The findings from this exploratory study confirm previous findings and add to the understanding of the contribution recreation makes to the complex phenomenon of voluntary, individual employee turnover.

Keywords:

• Armed Forces recreation
• structural modeling
• employee turnover
• leisure needs assessment