Only 37% of active duty family members responding to a recent survey said they would recommend military service to a young family member – a figure that points to persistent and unresolved quality-of-life issues facing those in uniform.

The findings from the 2025 Military Family Lifestyle Survey published by Blue Star Families (BSF) show a slight uptick from 2024, when 32% of respondents said they’d recommend service. That figure was 55% in the 2016 survey and hasn’t topped 47% since.

The military community has long been considered a “family business.” A 2013 Pentagon report found that 77% to 86% of military recruits had a family member who had served, situating family connection to service as a strong factor in recruitment.

[RELATED: Health Care Access a Top Complaint Among Servicemembers]

While there are many factors to consider when increasing the number of recruits, one thing is certain: The military cannot afford to lose its promoters – military families recommending service to their friends, loved ones, and personal networks.

Why Is the Military Losing Its Promoters?

Many quality-of-life issues highlighted by the survey have been part of ongoing advocacy efforts by MOAA and other stakeholders … but they remain unresolved, year over year:

Military spouse employment has remained the top concern for active duty spouse respondents to the BSF survey for the last six years. This year’s survey reports a 23% unemployment rate and an underemployment rate of 70%.

This sustained signal that military spouses need adequate employment for financial security is reinforced by the Harris Poll’s Income Paradox Survey, which highlights the financial distress of families earning a low six-figure income. Most military families earn less than six figures, leaving military spouse employment a critical necessity to military life.

Child care affordability and access can worsen spousal employment conditions: Last year’s deep dive by the BSF survey into child care issues found that child care costs were a barrier to employment for 64% of spouses, and access issues were a barrier to 43% of spouses.

This year’s survey revealed 41% of families spend 20% or more of their monthly income on child care, and half of survey respondents spend 30% or more of their income on housing. When 50% of household income goes toward just two basic needs, having a family becomes all but unaffordable.

Food insecurity remains a pressing issue, especially for enlisted families – 40% of enlisted survey respondents reported low or very low food security. Among all respondents, 30% said they could not always afford to eat balanced meals.

These quality-of-life issues are strong indicators as to why the number of military promoters has significantly dropped over the last 10 years. Military family budgets are stretched thin, leading many to wonder if they can afford to serve.

Elevating Solutions

MOAA is working on legislation to directly address the spouse unemployment issue. MOAA and BSF have been working with congressional offices to ask for their support of the Improve and Enhance the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) Act (H.R. 6231 | S. 3265). This bill would add military spouses as a target group to the WOTC program, which gives employers a financial incentive to hire members from groups with ongoing employment challenges. We hope that financially incentivizing employers to hire military spouses will aid in the reduction of their 23% unemployment rate.

[TAKE ACTION: Ask Your Lawmakers to Fight Military Spouse Unemployment]

Additionally, MOAA has been working with Cultural Care Au Pair to include au pairs in the Child Care in your Home (CCYH) pilot program. Au pair costs are often within the reimbursement allotments for this program, and au pairs can help meet child care needs brought on by the nontraditional schedules of military families.

Finally, MOAA supports the Military Dependents School Meal Eligibility Act of 2026 (H.R. 7259), which would eliminate the Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) from the calculation of military income when going through the qualification process for the National School Lunch Program.

Learn more about MOAA’s efforts on behalf of military families, as well as other key advocacy priorities, by registering at our Legislative Action Center.