Military service and political participation in the United States: Institutional experience and the vote

Leal, David L.; Teigen, Jeremy M.

doi:10.1016/j.electstud.2017.09.004

Cited by 18 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…This last point challenges the findings of Jennings and Markus’ focused study of Vietnam veterans. And in a more recent study by Leal and Tiegen (2018), military service is found to increase the likelihood of later life voting. This was especially the case for “those with low levels of formal education and in midterm election years,” suggesting that the pathway for this is an increase in “civic skills” conveyed through military experience (p. 107).…”

Section: Conceptual Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 93%

Military Service, Combat Experience, and Civic Participation

Wilson

Ruger²

2020

Armed Forces & Society

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Military service is a highly social—and potentially socializing—experience. However, the long-term social effect of military service is a little-studied topic, and some have dismissed any direct impact of service on civic participation. Using data from a large, national survey, our estimates show, in contrast, that the likelihood and intensity of group participation is higher among veterans than other men and that combat veterans have the highest level of participation. Mettler argued that education funded through the GI Bill gave veterans both resources (“civic capacity”) and a desire to reciprocate to society (“civic predisposition”) for the generous benefits they received, but she did not allow for the possibility that service itself could also increase both civic capacity and predisposition. Furthermore, our estimates confirm that education is strongly associated with higher civic participation and that the association between military service and participation is largely independent of education.

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Section: Conceptual Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 93%

Military Service, Combat Experience, and Civic Participation

Wilson

Ruger²

2020

Armed Forces & Society

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“…As former service members who are back in the civilian world, veterans represent the citizen–soldier tradition. As such, they have attracted the attention of social scientists who are interested in civil–military relations and the health of democracy (Cohen 1985; Feaver and Gelpi 2004; Feaver and Kohn 2001; Gelpi and Feaver 2002; Huntington 1957; Janowitz 1964; Snyder 1999) and the role of institutions such as the military in shaping political and civic engagement (Jennings and Markus 1977; Leal and Teigen 2018; Nesbit and Reingold 2011; Teigen 2006; Wilson and Ruger 2021). The study of soldiers and veterans is also intertwined with the establishment of quantitative social science.…”

Section: The Military and Social Sciencesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Thus, investigators over the years have distinguished between the effects of military training in general and combat experience in particular in shaping political attitudes and civic and political engagement upon return to civilian life (Ellison 1992; Endicott 2020; Wilson and Ruger 2021). Although some early studies concluded that the effects of military service on political attitudes and behavior were minimal (e.g., Jennings and Markus 1977), subsequent research has shown that veterans, especially combat veterans, are more likely to volunteer for community affairs, vote, and engage in more high‐initiative political behavior, such as participating in campaigns, than nonveterans from otherwise similar backgrounds (Ellison 1992; Leal and Teigen 2018; Wilson and Ruger 2021). Several studies have associated military background with political activism among racial and ethnic minority populations in particular (Ellison 1992; Krebs 2006; Leal 1999; Leal and Teigen 2018; C. S. Parker 2009).…”

Section: The Military and Social Sciencesmentioning

confidence: 99%

How do veterans view gun policies? Evidence from the Guns in American Life Survey

Ellison

Kelley

Leal

et al. 2022

Social Science Quarterly

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Objective Do veterans of the U.S. armed forces, a population with unique knowledge of and experience with guns, have distinctive views of gun control policies? While veterans are commonly assumed to be conservatives and Republicans, an emerging body of work has begun to explore the complexities of their policy opinions, partisanship, and voting behaviors. Such work provides needed nuance about this symbolically and politically important group. Methods Using the Guns in American Life Survey (2018, n = 3103), we test whether veterans (with combat and noncombat experiences), family members of veterans, and nonveterans have different perspectives, even after taking into account factors such as gun ownership and partisanship. Results The findings indicate that veterans (and particularly combat veterans) are more supportive than nonveterans of expanding civilians' gun carrying rights. On the other hand, veterans with and without combat experience are more likely to favor banning AR15 and military‐style rifles and high‐capacity ammunition clips. Veterans are also more likely to favor a 14‐day waiting period for all gun purchases, but they do not have unique positions on mental health screening for gun purchases. Conclusion Taken together, these findings appear to reflect a veteran population that is positively disposed toward guns in general but also understands the destructive power of military‐style weapons.

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“…Public participation is still influenced by a sense of safety and knowledge related to state defence and security manifested in trust. Research by Leal and Teigen in 2018 into the military found that experience in a particular government agency helps citizens participate in the political process, especially those who are otherwise unlikely to vote (Leal and Teigen, 2018).…”

Section: Willingness To Participatementioning

confidence: 99%

Mediating effect of Indonesia’s public trust on national security from the sense of safety, knowledge, and willingness to participate in state defense efforts

Bakar¹,

Syamsunasir²,

Adriyanto³

2021

Security and Defence Quarterly

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Several studies that focus on the willingness to participate show that trust is a vital variable in mediating a person's disposition to do so. This study examines the role of public trust in national security as a mediating variable of a sense of security and knowledge of the willingness to participate in state defence efforts. The data was collected via a questionnaire distributed to 435 respondents across Indonesia. We used a simple random sampling method; we then analysed using LISREL with Structural Equation Model (SEM). We found that trust cannot mediate a sense of safety and knowledge on the willingness to participate. An exciting finding was that knowledge affects trust, but sense of safety does not affect trust. This is interesting because it contradicts many studies related to political trust, when the willingness to participate is directly influenced by a sense of security and knowledge related to national security. Thus, to increase the willingness to participate in state defence efforts, it is necessary to increase the community's sense of security and knowledge related to national security. In this case, we recommend providing education related to defence and security to the community and increasing the community's sense of security.

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Military service and political participation in the United States: Institutional experience and the vote

Cited by 18 publications

References 39 publications

Military Service, Combat Experience, and Civic Participation

Military Service, Combat Experience, and Civic Participation

How do veterans view gun policies? Evidence from the Guns in American Life Survey

Mediating effect of Indonesia’s public trust on national security from the sense of safety, knowledge, and willingness to participate in state defense efforts

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