Perceptions of Hazing and Bullying among U.S. Military Service Members

Abstract : Efforts to enhance the welfare of U.S. Military Service Members (SMs) have led to increased awareness of and attention to hazing and bullying behaviors perceived by SMs. Using the Defense Management Equal Opportunity Institute (DEOMI) Organizational Climate Survey (DEOCS), perceptions of hazing and bullying among SMs of all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces (except Coast Guard) were explored. Findings of this study indicate SMs report perceptions of bullying at a substantially higher rate than hazing. Additionally, perceptions of bullying and hazing can vary considerably by gender, race, rank, and deployment status. Men are more likely to report perceptions of hazing within a unit than are women, whereas these differences were less clear-cut with regard to perceptions of bullying. Racial minorities SMs are more likely than the racial majority (White/Caucasian) to report perceptions of hazing and bullying; junior enlisted SMs report higher perceptions of hazing and bullying than senior enlisted SMs or officers; and SMs deployed within the Continental United States (CONUS) report higher perceptions of hazing and bullying than those not deployed or those deployed outside of the Continental United States (OCONUS). SMs who chose not to report their race had the highest perceptions of both hazing and bullying relative to other SMs. Overall, the group most likely to report both hazing and bullying were those deployed CONUS who did not report their race followed by junior enlisted SMs deployed CONUS.