Uncle Sam Wants You! But for What?

The majority of U.S. adults believe that young people should step forward to serve their country, but not only by joining the military. According to a recent poll by Harris Interactive®, 73 percent of adults surveyed support the idea of voluntary youth service, with 63 percent favoring participation in such activities as tutoring youth, improving health care, building homes, cleaning parks, and responding to disasters.

And while less than half of survey respondents backed the institution of a draft in which young people could select either military or civilian service, nearly 80 percent think national youth service is important. Only 24 percent support a draft solely for military service, and even fewer (14 percent) support a draft for civilian service.

"American compassion runs deep and most adults want the volunteer tradition passed on to their children," said John Bridgeland, president and CEO of Civic Enterprises. "But that compassion is best shared when it is a voluntary act, not a compelled one. It is no surprise that mandatory civilian service, if not unconstitutional, is unpopular with the American people. That means we will have to continue to be creative in reminding all Americans, especially the young, of the responsibility to give back and in highlighting opportunities for them to transform the world."

Youth show they want to serve

Regardless of adults' opinions about how youth should serve the nation, youth volunteerism is on the rise. Jim Kielsmeier, president and CEO of the National Youth Leadership Council, notes that "draft-eligible youth and their younger counterparts are volunteering at record rates." In fact, more than half of all youth 12 to 18 years old volunteer (that's 15.5 million teenagers). Even without a draft, Kielsmeier explains, military enlistment rose after 9/11. And after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, volunteer response rates increased dramatically among high school and college students.

Support for service crosses generations and genders, but not ideologies

Creating sufficient opportunities for civilian service takes resources and money, and opportunities to serve in programs like the Peace Corps and AmeriCorps are dwarfed by the number of willing and able youth. A majority of adults (55 percent) would support a federal budget increase to fund these service programs for everyone who is qualified and wants to serve. About 30 percent oppose this idea. The numbers who support increased federal funding are consistent between genders and across generations.

Disparities become apparent when looking at ideology -- more liberals than conservatives support the increase. Whatever the party or political ideology, higher levels of education correlate to slightly greater support for increased funding for service programs.

The Harris Interactive® poll was conducted online between Jan. 11 and 18, 2007. Read the full report.