2017 Veterans Well-Being Survey

Edelman, a global communications marketing firm, conducteda survey between May-June 2017 to assess perceptions ofveterans’ well-being in America. The survey examinedaudiences’ perceptions of veterans’ job skills, education andemployment to understand how veterans may be viewed aspotential employment candidates. In addition, the surveyexplored perceptions of veterans’ mental and physical health,as well as their role in society.

In total, Edelman surveyed 3,197 individuals across the UnitedStates, including non-veterans/civilians, veterans/militarypersonnel, educators and employers. For this briefing, findingsregarding educators are not presented.

VETERANS WELL-BEING SURVEY:

Focus on Employment, Education

and Health

2017

Employers have misperceptions about veterans’ job skillsand education levels.

Though 76% of the employers* surveyed want to hire more veterans within theirorganizations, most have underlying misconceptions about veterans’ education levels,job skills and potential for success. Only 38% of employers believe the skills veteranslearn in the military are easily transferable to the public or private sector, while most(62%) believe veterans need to acquire more skills- both hard and soft- before beingready for non-military roles. One of the largest disconnects exists with employers’views of veterans’ soft skills. Only 19% of employers believe veterans possess effectivecommunication skills, but 58% of employers say communication skills are essential forpotential job candidates. In contrast, 64% of veterans believe they possess effectivecommunication skills.

2017 VETERANS WELL-BEING SURVEY

Q37: Which of the following best represents your views?(n=1,000 Employers)

38%

62%

The skills veterans learn in the military are easily transferable to jobs inthe public or private sector

Veterans may need additional education or training before they arequalified for jobs in the public or private sector

Figure 1. Perceptions of Veterans’ Post-Military Job Readiness

Figure 2. Skills Employers Believe Veterans Possess

* “Employers” are defined as individuals at any level of an organization who actively participate in recruiting, interviewing and hiring potential job candidates.

Q42: Which of the following skills/attributes do you believe veterans possess? (n=1,000 Employers)

14%

19%

47%

48%

53%

58%

68%

Possess strong interpersonal skills

Be an effective communicator

Possess resiliency

Have the ability to adapt effectively toadversity

Work effectively with others to achieve acommon goal

Have experience working with a teamthrough challenging situations

Have a sense of duty and responsibilitySense of duty and responsibility

Experience working with a team through challenging situations

Work effectively with others to achieve a common goal

Adapt effectively to adversity

Possess resiliency

Effective communicator

Possess strong interpersonal skills

49%

52%

Compared to average citizens, most veterans have successful careers afterleaving the military

Compared to average citizens, most veterans do not have successful careersafter leaving the military

Furthermore, employers have misperceptions about veterans’ education levels andopportunities for career success. Forty-nine percent (49%) of employers believe mostveterans do not pursue a college or vocational school degree either during or aftertheir military service. In addition, fewer than 10% believe veterans are more likely thanaverage citizens to obtain a graduate or doctoral degree. Finally, 52% of employersbelieve, when compared to average citizens, veterans do not have successful careersafter leaving the military.

Together this data shows while employers are eager to hire more veterans, theirmisperceptions about veterans’ education, skills and career potential may beinadvertently inhibiting veterans’ employment prospects.

Q39. For each set of statements, please select the one that best represents your views. (n= 1,000 Employers)

Figure 3. Employers’ Perceptions of Veterans’ Education Levels


Q40: Which of the following best represents your views?(n= 1,000 Employers)

Figure 4. Perceptions of Veterans’ Career Success

29%47% 52%

53%

45% 41%

18%9% 7%

Bachelor's Degree Master's Degree PhD or similaradvanced degree

Military veterans are more likely than the average citizen to obtain a bachelor’s/ master’s/ PhD or similar advanced degree Military veterans are equally as likely as the average citizen to obtain a bachelor’s / master’s/ PhD or similar advanced degreeMilitary veterans are less likely than the average citizen to obtain a bachelor’s / master’s/ PhD or similar advanced degree

Both veterans and employers would welcomeinternship/apprenticeship programs to encourageveterans’ employment

To bridge the skills gaps and recruit more veterans, most employers would beinterested in participating in veterans-focused internship/apprenticeship programs.While 50% of the employers surveyed currently have internship/apprenticeshipprograms at their organizations, only 9% have programs targeted towards veterans.However, 73% of employers believe a veterans internship/apprenticeship programcould benefit their companies by helping to attract more veteran applicants (50%)and allowing veterans to develop the skills they need for full-time positions (42%).This is particularly true among employers in large companies (1,000+ employees),90% of whom believe this type of program would benefit their organizations. Inaddition, 39% of employers (and 44% of employers at large companies) believe aveterans internship/apprenticeship program would also improve their corporatereputation.


The good news: veterans are eagerto participate in these programs.Eighty-six percent (86%) of veteranssay they are or would have beeninterested in participating in aninternship/apprenticeship programafter their military separation, and58% of current service members areextremely interested in participatingin this type of program after theirservice.

Therefore, the data indicatesinternship/apprenticeshipprograms could be a viable way toencourage veteran employmentmoving forward.

Q52: How interested (would you be/would you have been) in participating in an internship or apprenticeship program after leaving the military to help you transition into the private sector?(n=1,097 Veterans; n=396 Current Service Members; n=701 Former Service Members)

Figure 5. Veterans’ Interest in Internship/ Apprenticeship Programs

28% 31% 26%

58% 58%58%

Veterans

86% 89% 84%Σ

Som

ewh

at/

Extr

emel

y

Current Service Members

Former Service Members


Figure 6. Percentage of Employers Who Believe Internship/Apprenticeship Programs Would Benefit Their Organizations

Q53: How much do you believe your company could benefit by launching an internship or apprenticeship program geared toward veterans? (Top 2 Box Shown: Extremely Beneficial, Somewhat Beneficial) (n=1,000 Employers; n=416 Very small; n=178 Small; n=225 Medium; n=181 Large)

Veterans leave their jobs for the same reasons asnon-veterans.

When it comes to retention, veterans leave their post-military positions for the samereasons as non-veterans – salary and cultural fit. When asked why they left their last

non-military position, 25% of veteranssaid it was not a good cultural fit and21% cited inadequate pay. These arethe same reasons given by non-veterans, 25% of whom left their lastposition because of cultural fit and 22%of whom left because of salary.

Veterans do not leave their jobs forunique reasons. If employers arehaving issues with veteran retention,they may need to examine theirmethods for retaining all employees. Q34: Why did you leave your last [non-military] position?

(n=476 Veterans; n=619 Non-veterans)

Figure 7. Reasons for Leaving Last Job

Not the right fit for me (25%) Not the right fit for me (25%)

Pay was not adequate (21%) Pay was not adequate (22%)

Management/ Leadership issues (18%)

Management/ Leadership issues (15%)

Not the field I wanted to be in (15%)

I needed to change companies to get to the next level in my career (13%)

I needed to change companies to get to the next level in my career (14%)

Not the field I wanted to be in (11%)

Veterans Non-veterans

73%

60%

71%

86%90%

Employers (Total) Very small Small Medium Large

Non-veterans and employers have misconceptionsabout veterans’ mental health and access to care.

Most employers and non-veterans have negative misperceptions of veterans’ accessto mental health care. Of those surveyed, fewer than 20% of non-veterans andemployers believe veterans have access to good or excellent mental health services,and 70% of non-veterans and 81% of employers believe their communities could domore to support veterans’ mental health. However, 76% of veterans agree they haveaccess to mental health support, and 74% say they know where to go if they orsomeone they know needs help.

This is particularly interesting given that veterans, non-veterans and employers saythey experience mental health challenges at similar rates. Of those surveyed, 46% ofveterans, 35% of non-veterans and 40% of employers say they experienced a mentalhealth challenge in the last year. However, veterans are more likely to seek help thantheir non-veteran and employer counterparts. Among those who experienced amental health issue, 70% of veterans say they sought help (specifically from agovernment agency (24%) or Veterans’ Affairs (20%)), compared to only 61% of non-veterans and 62% of employers.

This indicates that veterans have access to services and are willing to seek mental health when they need it, which is not always the case for employers and non-veterans.


Q17: Please complete the following sentence with one response below: Within the past year, I have… (n=507 Veterans; n=347 Non-veterans; n=402 Employers)Q18: You indicated that you experienced a moment when you had a mental health challenge within the last year. Did you get help? (n=507 Veterans; n=347 Non-veterans; n=402 Employers)

Figure 8. Mental Health Challenges and Treatment by Audience

46%35% 40%

70%61% 62%

Veterans Non-veterans Employers

Expereienced a mental health challenge Sought help


A social disconnect exists between veterans andnon-veterans.

An underlying social disconnect between veterans, non-veterans and employers mayput veterans at a disadvantage. Of those surveyed, most employers (75%) and non-veterans (60%) say they are close with a friend or family member who is a veteran, butfewer than 30% say they have a lot in common with veterans. At the same time, morethan 60% of employers and non-veterans believe society views veterans as heroes, but30% or fewer believe society views veterans as average citizens or strategic assets. Inaddition, 65% of non-veterans and 75% of employers wish they understood moreabout veterans’ experiences.

The perspective that veterans are different from non-veterans, employers andaverage citizens implies a social disconnect exists between veterans and thesegroups. Improving this connection may be necessary to help improve veterans’ socialand employment prospects following their service.

Q12b: How much do you agree or disagree with the following statements? (n=1,000 Employers; n=1,000 Non-veterans)

Figure 9. Relationship with Veterans

Q11. In your opinion, how are veterans typically viewed? Veterans are viewed as…(n=1,000 Employers; n=1,000 Non-veterans)

Figure 10. How Veterans are Viewed in Society

15%26% 20%

30%7%

34%

6%

45%

Non-veterans Employers

Som

ewh

at /

Str

on

gly

22%

60%

26%

75%

Non-veterans Employers

Heroes

19%

25%

30%

71%

16%

24%

29%

64%

Average Citizens

Victims

StrategicAssets

I have a lot in common with veterans

I am close to my friends or relatives who are veterans

Overall, the study’s findings imply various

misperceptions exist about veterans and may be

inhibiting their employment and social opportunities.

These misperceptions relate to all facets of veterans’ lives, including job skills, education levels,

mental health and their role in society. To improve veterans’ prospects, both non-veterans and

employers need a more accurate understanding of who veterans are and the value they bring to both

their organizations and communities. Non-veterans and employers want to know more about

veterans, and employers are open to opportunities to integrate veterans into their organizations.

Simply, non-veterans and employers need more education to help better relate to their veteran

counterparts.

For more information about the study and these findings, please contact Justin Platt at

[email protected] 8


mailto:[email protected]

Audience Description Sample Size Margin of Error

Veterans/MilitaryPersonnel

U.S. adults ages 18+ who currently or have previously served in the armed forces

Note: Veterans and active military personnel were analyzed both separately and in aggregate. In most instances, there was no significant difference between the groups and, as such, they have been reported in aggregate for this briefing.

N=1,097 +/- 2.96%

Former Service Members

U.S. adults ages 18+ who have previously served in any branch of the armed forces

N=701 +/- 3.64%

CurrentServiceMembers

U.S. adults ages 18+ currently serving in any branch of the armed forces

N=396 +/-4.88%

Non-veterans/Civilians

U.S. adults ages 18+ with no current or previousmilitary service

N=1,000 +/- 3.10%

Employers U.S. adults ages 18+ who have input into hiring decisions at their company. They do not work in healthcare, education or for a veteran service organization. They are non-veterans.

Note: Findings were analyzed in aggregate and by company size, as defined below.

N=1,000 +/-3.10%

Very Small 1-20 employees N=416 +/-4.75%

Small 21-100 employees N=178 +/-7.31%

Medium 101-1,000 employees N=225 +/-6.50%

Large 1,000+ employees N=181 +/-7.25%

Educators/VSOEmployees

U.S. adults ages 18+ who work in education and/or for a veteran service organization

N=100 +/- 9.78%

Methodology In-Depth: The Edelman Veterans Well-Being Survey was conductedbetween May 18 and June 1, 2017. This 15-minute online survey resulted in n=3,197respondents, n=1,000 of whom were non-veterans, n=1,097 veterans/militarypersonnel, n=1,000 employers, and n=100 educators/VSO employees. The specificbreakdown by group is as follows:

Respondents for the study were sourced from the following:

• Veterans and educators were recruited from a paid online panel provided by Lucid, as well as lists provided by Give an Hour, Student Veterans of America and other veterans’ organizations.

• Non-veterans and employers were recruited exclusively from a paid online panel provided by Lucid.


2017 Veterans Well-Being Survey

Health & Medicine

Transcript of 2017 Veterans Well-Being Survey