Just over half of Americans said they would encourage a friend or family member to join the military, according to a recent survey by the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute. 

In the 2023 survey, released in December, 51% of respondents said they would encourage a friend or family member to join the military, while one-third of respondents said they would discourage service.

“Inspiring a culture of service will be critical to overcoming the U.S. military’s recent recruitment challenges,” the survey says.  

The 2023 survey was conducted between Oct. 27 and Nov. 5 by a bipartisan survey team and included interviews of 2,506 American respondents.

During fiscal year 2023, which ended Sept. 30, the Army missed its goal of recruiting 65,000 new soldiers by about 10,000 people. Its goal for fiscal 2024 is 55,000 active-duty soldiers as the service continues to grapple with one of the toughest recruiting environments it has seen in almost five decades.

While the survey in 2022 did not include findings on whether Americans would recommend military service, it did include data on individual propensity to join the U.S. military. The survey found 38% of Americans said they were “highly willing” or “somewhat willing” to serve in the military.

In the 2023 survey, 39% of respondents indicated that the military was balancing social issues and warfighting “appropriately.” About 23% of respondents said the military is “too focused on social issues,” and 24% said the military is “too focused on warfighting.”

Americans were united in their reasons for recommending military service. “The primary reason for those who would encourage service—among pluralities of both Democrats and Republicans—relates to patriotism, service and honor,” the survey says.

However, respondents were divided along party lines when it came to why they discouraged service.

“For Democrats, the primary reasons relate to it being too dangerous and not worth the risks or that they are anti-war,” the survey says. “For Republicans, the primary reasons are the current political climate and distrust of politicians or because they view the military as too ‘woke.’ ”

The survey is available here.