Armed Forces Equal Opportunity Survey

Abstract : In 1996, the Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC) conducted the first Department of Defense (DoD)-wide survey assessing the extent to which members of the military and their families experienced racial/ethnic harassment or discrimination. The survey was developed for the purpose of providing a better understanding of service members' perceptions and experiences related to fair treatment and equal opportunity. The questionnaire asked service members about their overall racial/ethnic interactions, as well as about specific insensitive discriminatory, and harassing racial/ethnic interactions that had occurred in the 12-month period prior to filling out the survey. The survey also contained items on members' perceptions of official EQ actions (e.g., satisfaction with the outcome of the complaint, actions taken in response to the complaint). The survey results will inform and assist leaders of DoD and the Armed Forces as they work to ensure equal opportunity for all service members. The questionnaire was mailed to 76,754 enlisted members and officers up to the rank of 0-6 in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard. The mailing resulted in a 53% rate of usable responses, which is typical for large-scale surveys of military personnel.