New Tri-service Armed Forces Attitude Survey Published

The first UK tri-Service Armed Forces Continuous Attitude Survey (AFCAS), has been published today, Wednesday 9 July. The survey was conducted between July and October 2007. Since then, a number of the issues raised in the survey have already been addressed with the introduction of measures such as this year’s 2.6 per cent pay rise, the £10,000 rise in commitment bonuses to £15,000 and the 1% increase in X-factor pay.

This survey builds on the single-Service Continuous Attitude Surveys (CAS), bringing together the lines of questioning on a tri-Service basis to allow direct comparison between the Services and to capture the concerns of the Armed Forces as a whole.

Although some questions in the AFCAS are similar to those in single-Service surveys the results are not directly comparable. However, as we plan to continue surveying Armed Forces opinion in this way, we will be able to draw meaningful conclusions in the future, to further improve our ability to respond to the needs of our people.

The latest statistics show that pride remains high within the Armed Forces with 93 percent of Army officers and 76 percent of soldiers proud to be in the Army. Pride in the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force is also high, with 84 percent of RN officers and 62 percent of sailors proud to be part of the Royal Navy, and 89 percent of RAF Officers and 69 percent of Airmen expressing pride in their Service.

Armed Forces personnel also have high levels of job satisfaction: 73 percent of Army officers and 57 percent of soldiers, 71 percent of Royal Marine officers and 50 percent of other ranks, 70 percent of RAF officers and 50 percent of other ranks, and 64 percent of Royal Navy officers and 48 percent of other ranks are satisfied with their jobs. There are also high levels of satisfaction with the medical and dental treatment provided for personnel, across all Services.

Throughout the Armed Forces, the inevitable impact of Service on family life, including the amount of time spent away from home, remains a key issue. However, over half of Army Personnel surveyed (62 per cent) said the frequency of operational tours was “about right” or “too few”. Service personnel are compensated for these differences in lifestyle and working conditions through the payment of an additional 14 percent1 of their salary through ‘X-factor’ pay. Personnel completing a six month operational deployment are also eligible for a tax-free £2320 operational allowance.

Defence Minister Derek Twigg, welcomed the publication of the surveys, saying:

“These surveys offer a useful snapshot of attitudes. They help the Armed Forces target issues that concern our people and inform changes in policy and new initiatives. Since the survey was conducted we have already implemented a number of important changes such as the recent pay rise, an adjustment to the operational bonus, and the introduction of childcare vouchers. Over the next 10 years, we are also spending £8.4Bn on accommodation, an area that is a high priority for our personnel.

We know that there is always more that can be done and later this month we are publishing the first cross-government Service Personnel Strategy, which contains a number of measures that will further improve the support we offer to personnel, families and veterans and ensure that we address all of their concerns.”

The surveys provide a sample of views from across the Armed Forces to the Chiefs of Staff of the Royal Navy, the Army and the Royal Air Force. Previous trends from these surveys have informed decisions on single-Service personnel initiatives and resources.

Source: MoD

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