Minority perceptions of opportunities and intentions to stay in the Navy

Abstract

This thesis investigates how perceptions of military opportunities affect the intentions of racial/ethnic minorities to remain in the U.S. Navy. The study uses responses of Navy personnel on the 1996 Armed Forces Equal Opportunity Survey to assess minority perceptions of equal opportunity. Logistic regression models are developed for male and female enlisted personnel and officers to determine the relationship between perceptions that opportunities are better in the military and the decision to stay on active duty or leave the Navy. The results of the quantitative analysis show that the positive perceptions about training opportunities and quality of life were significant most often, across all racial/ethnic groups and models. Further, the results show that, among racial/ethnic groups, blacks were most strongly influenced by perceptions in their retention plans. It is recommended that further research examine the relationship between racial/ethnic group and job assignments, or selection, along with the corresponding impact on perceptions and the effect of visible versus non-visible minority status on views of equal opportunity in the military.