The association between base-area social and economic characteristics and airmen's outcomes

To help Air Force Services tailor support for Airmen and their families through analyses of the relevance of neighborhood, or area, characteristics of major Air Force installations located within the United States, researchers applied established social indicators and neighborhood methodology to identify which areas may have greater need for Air Force resources. This document reports the results of that analysis. It examines whether and how base-area characteristics are associated with individual-level Airman outcomes across several different domains. The objective is to help the Air Force identify communities where Airmen and their families may have greater levels of need so that it can adapt programs or resources to counteract stressors related to the base areas and the lack of nonmilitary resources in the area. Using census and personnel data, the authors created a set of area profiles that make up the RAND Base Area Social and Economic Index, or RAND BASE-I, measuring aspects of household composition, employment, income and poverty, housing, social, and transportation of area residents (both military and civilian). These factors are outside of Air Force control; however, Air Force Services may be able to help offset potential negative impacts of community characteristics on Airmen and their families. Using existing Air Force survey data, the authors then assessed whether these base-area characteristics were associated with Airmen's outcomes related to health and well-being, military and neighborhood cohesion, ratings of neighborhood resources, use of on-base resources, satisfaction, and career intentions. The analysis also tested whether Airmen who live off base and commute to work may be more exposed to social and economic conditions in the larger base area than Airmen who primarily live and work on base.