Regarding Veterans’ views on their service’s impact on their civilian careers, we found no major differences among key Veteran subgroups. This may be attributable to the benefits of military service cited by Veterans—including greater self-discipline, personal growth, and financial benefits that may have assisted with training or higher education. Men were more likely than women to report that military experience helped them develop relevant workforce skills (45 percent vs. 33 percent).

The vast majority (77 percent) of Veterans characterized their service as either somewhat or very positive. Veterans ages 45 and older (45 to 59: 79 percent; 60 and older: 84 percent) were more likely than younger Veterans (18 to 44: 57 percent) to report feeling positive about their military service.

“Involving Veterans as a foundational element of research at the outset is critical to fostering true collaboration and gaining an authentic understanding of their lived experiences,” said Roxanne Wallace, senior research director in NORC’s Economics, Justice & Society department and a U.S. Marine Veteran. “Too often, Veterans’ voices are overlooked, misunderstood, or misrepresented. When these perspectives are not included, the research is conducted on Veterans rather than with them.”

Veterans reported that the greatest benefits of military service include building self-discipline and personal growth (63 percent), fulfillment of duty or patriotism (45 percent), financial benefits (40 percent), and travel or life experiences (40 percent). Both male and female Veterans reported fulfillment of duty or patriotism as the greatest benefit. Male Veterans were more likely than female Veterans to cite fulfillment of duty and a sense of patriotism, while female Veterans were more likely than male Veterans to report a sense of community or belonging as among the greatest benefits.

“The Veterans Insight Panel lets us hear directly from Veterans in ways we haven’t before. This is essential to uncovering insights like the strong sense of community and belonging that many female Veterans say shaped both their decision to serve and their experiences afterward,” Wallace said.

Overall, the most common reasons Veterans joined the military included a sense of duty or patriotism, seeking a path to independence, educational benefits, and financial stability. However, the leading reasons differed significantly by sex. For male Veterans, the top motivations were patriotism (51 percent), a path to independence (39 percent), and educational benefits (37 percent). For female Veterans, a path to independence (44 percent), financial stability (43 percent), and patriotism (39 percent) were the most common.

Veterans ages 18 to 59 were more likely than older Veterans to report joining the military for a path to independence, educational benefits, financial stability, and career preparation. More than half (51 percent) of Veterans ages 18 to 44 cited financial stability as a key reason for joining the military.

Most Veterans (73 percent) would recommend military service to others. However, these sentiments also vary by gender and age. Male Veterans were more likely than female Veterans to say they would recommend military service (74 percent vs. 65 percent). Veterans ages 45 to 59 and 60 and older were more likely to say they would recommend military service than Veterans ages 18 to 44 (76 percent and 79 percent, respectively, vs. 54 percent).