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Overview

Blue Star Families’ annual Military Family Lifestyle Survey (aMFLS) has been providing a comprehensive understanding of the experiences and challenges encountered by military families since 2009. It offers crucial insight and data to help inform national leaders, local communities, and philanthropic actors—functions that are even more important as decision makers assess how to support military and Veteran families while the nation continues to recover from a global pandemic . The survey also presents the opportunity to increase dialogue between the military community and broader American society by highlighting areas for improvement and offering solutions to bridge the civil-military divide, strengthen communities, and bolster the health and sustainability of the All-Volunteer Force.

Blue Star Families conducted its 12th annual Military Family Lifestyle Survey from April to June 2021. Capturing experiences of over 8,000 respondents worldwide, and generating millions of data points, it remains the largest and most comprehensive survey of active-duty, National Guard, and Reserve service members, Veterans, and their families.

Overview of Top Military Family Issues

Amount of time away from family due to military service is the top issue for active-duty service members, National Guard families, and Reserve families; it was the second top concern for active-duty spouses, behind military spouse employment.
Active-duty family respondents remain focused on the impacts of military service on the family, especially regarding spouse employment, dependent children’s education, and time spent away from family. Relocation/PCS also rose to the top-five issues this year for active-duty families, possibly due to COVID-19 related issues.
Military spouse under- and unemployment remains a top issue for active-duty spouse respondents; COVID-19 impacts may also contribute to reduced labor force participation among spouses. It also continues to be a top issue for active-duty service members and Veteran spouse respondents, which may signal persistent employment challenges beyond active-duty years.
National Guard and Reserve family respondents also were focused on the impacts of military service on the family, however the impact of deployment rose to the number two issue for both of these groups, possibly due to the increased activation and deployment over the past two years, In addition, understanding of military/Veteran issues among civilians also rose to the top-five issues for both National Guard and Reserve family respondents, potentially indicating an increased perception of the civil-military divide.
Veterans and Veteran spouses reported access to military/VA health care system(s) as a top issue among other pay and benefits related to military service.

listen and learn

Did you miss part of the 2021 Military Family Lifestyle Survey results release event? Are you looking to catch up on the conversations? Press play on the videos below.

DAY 1 - Main Event

Hear leaders and families discuss the most pressing issues military- and Veteran-connected families are facing today.

DAY 2 - Data Deep Dive #1

Military Family Financial Security

DAY 2 - Data Deep Dive #2

Health and Mental Health

Featured videos

MFLS Opening Video

Financial Security Video

Military Family Building Video

What Does the DAta Say

2021 Survey Findings Summary

Community and Social Context

Diversity: Four in 10 active-duty family respondents believe there is less racial discrimination in the military than there is in the general U.S. society.
Resources/Military Quality of Life: Nearly a quarter (24%) of active-duty family respondents cite “military family quality of life” as a top concern. Families point to instability and inconsistency of daily life as the reason.
Spotlight: National Guard and Reserve Families: National Guard and Reserve service members and their families report high levels of deployment activities in the last year, and many report they would recommend military service to young men and women.

Health Care Access and Quality

Family Building: The majority of military-connected family respondents (67%) have experienced at least one family building challenge in their lifetime.
Spouse Health and Well-Being: Spouses are the backbone of military families.
Military Children's Mental Health: Most active-duty family respondents to the 2021 MFLS report their children’s mental health is “good” or “excellent,” but a notable proportion (43%) rate at least one child’s mental health as “fair,” “poor,” or “very poor.”

Education Access and Quality

Military Children's Education: Military children’s education remains a top-five issue of concern for active-duty family respondents (31%), as it has since 2018.

Neighborhood and the Built Environment

Spotlight: Global Citizens: The military community is rich in culture, ethnicity, and language. Military-connected respondents represent 95 countries of origin and 15% use a language other than English in their home.

Economic Stability

Employment Satisfaction: The majority of active-duty service member respondents (67%) are satisfied with their jobs and 70% feel the work they do is meaningful.
Financial Stability and Housing: Already stressed by spouse un- and underemployment, student loans, and out-of-pocket relocation costs, military families making PCS (permanent change of station) moves face long military housing waitlists, unaffordable civilian housing markets, and expensive rental costs, which can further add to their financial burden.
Spouse Employment and Child Care: Military spouse employment is again a top-five military life issue for nearly half (47%) of active-duty spouse respondents and a quarter of active-duty service member respondents (25%).
Spotlight: Veterans: At the 20-year mark of the War on Terror, post-9/11 Veteran respondents, on average, show strong employment and financial positions. However, a greater proportion of those with a service-connected disability experience transition difficulties and a lack of preparedness for themselves and their families.

Reports

“I appreciate and believe this is a very important initiative for the military to pursue and continuously improve. Thank you for giving the people experiencing these challenges a voice.”
- 2021 MFLS Survey Respondent

MEDIA & PARTNERSHIP INQUIRIES

If you are a member of the media or a nonprofit organization that supports military- and Veteran-connected communities and you are interested in partnering with Blue Star Families to promote this research, contact [email protected].

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Quick Links

Executive Summary (PDF)
Comprehensive Infographic (PDF)
Comprehensive Report (PDF)
Recommendations (PDF)

Authors

From the Department of Applied Research at Blue Star Families in collaboration with the D'Aniello Institute of Veterans and Military Families, Syracuse University (IVMF).

Blue Star Families

Jessica D. Strong, Ph.D. Senior Director of Applied Research

Kim D. Hunt, Ph.D. Associate Director of Research and Training

Karly Howell, M.A. Senior Research Manager

Jennifer L. Akin, M.P.A. Senior Director of Policy and Social Impact Research

Charo Bates, M.B.A., M.A., M.S. USAA Applied Research & Social Impact DEPLOY Fellow

Carrie Carter, M.A. Applied Research Generalist Consultant

The D'Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families, Syracuse University

Rosalinda V. Maury, M.S. Director of Applied Research and Analytics

Rachel K. Linsner, M.S. Doctoral Research Fellow

Jeanette Yih Harvie, Ph.D. Research Associate