Blue Star Family Survey Now Open Through The Sustainable Ozarks Partnership

The Missouri Blue Star Survey is now open and officials are asking for your input.

The survey helps Blue Star Military Families by providing the state with data on active duty service members, including the National Guard, Reserve and Veteran service members.

Officials say the survey provides information on community connections, health concerns, education, public policy and financial challenges, among other things.

 

Blue Star Families Military Lifestyle Survey Now Open

The 2020 Blue Star Families Military Family Lifestyle Survey is now open. The survey is for research purposes only and, therefore, is entirely voluntary. The following individuals are able to complete the survey:
– Active duty service members and their family members – 18 years of age and older
– National Guard service members and their family members – 18 years of age and older
– Reserve service members and their family members – 18 years of age and older
– Veteran service members and their family members – 18 years of age and older

The survey is completely confidential and *optional* text responses are de-identified. This survey has a long history of producing confidential, statistical information used by senior defense department and military leaders to make decisions and prioritize efforts focused on all military families. It is crucial that military members and families provide a response for this survey, especially those in the Fort Leonard Wood Region.

The survey includes questions about community connections, health concerns and wellness, education, employment, military children, financial challenges, civic engagement, and public policy issues, among other topics.

We encourage those in the FLW Region to respond to the survey and also to encourage others to respond, as well. Blue Star Families has provided the following tips on how to engage others regarding the 2020 survey.

1. Personal Asks. Sometimes all it takes is for you to ask two to three people a day in person or by phone to take the survey. Here’s an example of how to ask: “As a military affiliated person, you and I both know that we have issues and concerns that sometimes often go unspoken. Blue Star Families has a survey they do every year and they actually do something with the data they get out of it. I’m asking you as a friend to take it. Take this survey for me and for you. It may take you anywhere between 5 minutes to 15 minutes. So, will you take it this week for me?”
2. Facebook Shares. If you follow the Blue Star Families Facebook Page, you can easily like, comment, tag, and share a post to your personal page asking everyone you know that is military affiliated to take the survey. Making your share public ensures that other friends can share your post, too. This is helpful, because any military affiliated person can take the survey no matter where they are. They don’t have to be in Missouri to have their voice heard.
3. Presentations. Create space and opportunity for our local Blue Star Families representative, Tai Kimes, to give a 10 – 15 minute presentation on Blue Star Families and the annual Military Family Lifestyle Survey (aMFLS) to leaders in your community. Many leaders use our survey results to make decisions or implement specific programming. 
4. Take the Survey and share your experience. Simply sharing the fact that you took it will be a very impactful tool. Let others know you feel the survey is important and provide some feedback on your experience taking the survey (i.e. how long it took, etc.).

The Blue Star Families 2020 Military Family Lifestyle Survey is now open. It is critical that Missouri’s military-connected individuals respond to this survey as the data is used by senior Department of Defense and other military leaders to make crucial decisions and determine focus areas related to military families. You can view our entire release on the survey here: https://sustainableozarks.org/news/2020/09/14/BSF-mil-lifestyle-survey-now-open.

This year, Blue Star Families will be looking to better understand the data and will hopefully be able to break down responses by region or state. Military-connected individuals can respond to the survey with this link: https://bluestarfam.us/BSFSurvey20MOsop.