Background
In the words of the Secretary and Chief of Staff of the Army, “Never before in the history of our Army have we asked so much of our Families. They are serving side-by-side with our Soldiers, enduring their hardships and providing the unconditional love and support that truly make our Army strong.” In return, he pledged that the Army would support Soldiers and their Families and resource programs “to provide them a quality of life commensurate with their service.”
The Survey of Army Families (SAF) is one way to assess the effectiveness of the Army’s support for Soldiers and their Families. SAF is an Army-wide survey conducted every 4 to 5 years by the U.S. Army Family and Morale, Welfare, and Recreation Command (FMWRC). It provides data on the attitudes and behaviors of non-military spouses of Active Duty Soldiers about the quality of life in the Army, identifies emerging Family issues, assesses progress in resolving Army Family Action Plan issues, and supplements other studies on Army Families.
Earlier SAFs were conducted in 1987, 1991/2, 1995, 2001, and 2004/5. Similar to the 2004/5 survey, the 2010 SAF VI survey was sent to three subsamples, each with its own tailored survey, based on the Soldier spouse’s rank and deployment status since September 11, 2001. That is, the Soldier spouse is/has:
- Currently Deployed,
- Deployed and Returned, or
- Not Deployed.
For additional information: MWR.Survey@conus.army.mil |
