Soldiers’ views on alternative social service

In June 2004, the Sombor Military Department carried out the first survey at the level of the Army of Serbia and Montenegro aimed to establish the views of conscripts on alternative social service. The fifteen questions contained by the inquiry were answered by 65 conscripts who, starting from June 10 2004, have applied for alternative social service (but have not been deployed). The research used different methods of statistical data processing. The respondents’ education levels and years of birth (regular 1983; critical - 1977; older conscripts born in the period from 1978 till 1982; and one conscript born in 1975, to whom the conscription was postponed) were taken as the basic parameters of the research sample. The findings revealed that most of the conscript were ignorant of the meanings of conscientious objection and alternative social service, as well as of the training when doing their military obligation in civilian services, and of their rights and obligations during alternative social service. Even so most of the recruits stuck to their original resolve to fulfill their military obligation by doing alternative social service.