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Title: The Transformation of the Demographic Differential Between the U.S. Military and the U.S. Population
Citation Type: Miscellaneous
Publication Year: 2009
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Abstract: Using Defense Department and U.S. Census Bureau data from 19972006, this paper analyzes the demographic differential between the U.S. Army and the population it represents. The shifting trends in the demographic composition are shown to primarily come from the military recruit labor market and only slightly from military separations. This labor market is analyzed to discover the relationship between the racial composition and the market factors: educational attainment, family income, unemployment, military conflict, race relations, and politics. Fieldwork to discover a relationship between recruiting practices and the demographic composition found no evidence of local racial targeting; however national policies targeting Hispanic underrepresentation are discussed. Time series trend analysis shows that the racial composition was very steady from 19972001, with African Americans being overrepresented, while white, Hispanic, and Asian cohorts remained underrepresented. Then, after the invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq, a varied transition began in accessions: African Americans decreased 43.1 percent, whites increased 21.9 percent and Hispanics showed little change from their steady increase. Furthermore, time series analysis indicates a flaw in the Defense Departments current annual reporting method, and recommendations for continued observation are made to preemptively detect an overcorrection that could cause another demographic differential.
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Authors: Moffett, Ryan
Publisher: University of California, Berkeley
Data Collections: IPUMS CPS
Topics: Other
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