Official Statistics

Tri-service reserves continuous attitude survey 2025: main report

Published 10 July 2025

This survey of Volunteer Reserves covers satisfaction with various aspects of being a reservist. These statistics are used to inform the development of policy and measure the impact of decisions affecting reservists, such as those relating to the development of a modernised employment offer for the Armed Forces.

Key Points and Trends

The majority of Volunteer Reserves are satisfied with Service life, but overall satisfaction remains at its lowest point since ResCAS began.

Just over two-thirds (68%) of Volunteer Reserves are satisfied with Service life in general. With the exception of last year, when similar levels of satisfaction were reported, this is lower than satisfaction levels in every year since ResCAS began.

There has been a decrease in satisfaction with Service life compared to last year for Maritime Reserves (down to 66% from 75%). Satisfaction with Service life in the Army Reserves and RAF Reserves has remained relatively stable since last year, at 68% and 75% respectively.

Figure 1: Satisfied: Satisfaction with life in the [Service] Reserve in general by Service

Figure 1 shows satisfaction with life in general in the Reserves by Service. RAF Reserves have higher levels of satisfaction than both the Maritime Reserves and Army Reserves.

Satisfaction with Reserve Pay continues to sit at around its lowest level since 2015 and down 13 percentage points since 2021.

Satisfaction with Reserve pay has remained stable since last year, but continues to sit at around its lowest level since ResCAS began in 2015. In 2025, satisfaction stands at 44%, which is down 13 percentage points from its peak in 2021 (57%).

Figure 2: Satisfied: Satisfaction with Reserve Service pay each year since 2015

Figure 2 shows a line chart showing satisfaction in Reserves service pay each year since 2015. Satisfaction peaked at 57% in 2021 after a period of stability, and his since decreased to 44% in 2025.

Reserves are responding more positively to many areas of Reserve Service compared to 2015 baseline.

Since the 2015 baseline survey, the top three areas of increase across all three Services are civilian employers valuing the Reserve Service (50% to 65%), civilian employers supporting Reserve Service (70% to 81%) and feeling that being a Reservist is good for civilian careers (47% to 57%). Figure 3 below shows the increase in those reporting these measures compared to the baseline year of 2015.

Figure 3: Agree: My main civilian employer values my Reserve Service, My main civilian employer supports my Reserve Service and Being a Reservist is good for my civilian career against the baseline year

Responsible Statistician: Surveys Head of Branch

Email: Analysis-Surveys-Enquiries@mod.gov.uk

Background Quality Report: ResCAS webpage

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Introduction

The Reserves Continuous Attitude Survey (ResCAS) is a Tri-Service annual survey of volunteer reservists and is one of the main ways that the department gathers information on the attitudes and experiences of volunteer reservists. The data is used to inform and shape decisions and policy development in a range of areas including remuneration, training, equipment, support, and Conditions of Service (COS). The survey was distributed online between January 2025 and April 2025 and was conducted exclusively online for the Army Reserves for the first time.

Tri-Service questions were first asked in 2014. However, due to substantial changes in 2015 to the ResCAS Army survey methodology and to the Army and RAF target populations, 2014 results are not comparable and no comparisons to the 2014 results have been made in this publication. UK trained Regular personnel results are presented in some places for contextual information, sourced from the Armed Forces Continuous Attitude Survey 2025 (AFCAS 2025). No statistical significance testing has been completed between AFCAS and ResCAS data.

In 2025, there was one new Tri Service question asked within the ResCAS. This new question is “Has your civilian employer signed the Armed Forces Covenant (AFC)?” and has been added to Section 10 (Civilian Employment) in the accompanying reference tables published alongside this report.

Response Rates:

3,993 responses were received representing an overall response rate of 21%, down from 23% last year. There has been a decrease of twelve percentage points in the response rate since 2020, when the response rate was 33%.

Figure 4: ResCAS 2025 Response Rates

Figure 4 shows the breakdown of response rate by Service. Maritime Reserves had a 30% response rate, Army Reserves had a 20% response rate and RAF Reserves had a 21% response rate.

Reference tables and a list of the Tri-Service ResCAS 2025 questions are published as separate documents and can be found on the ResCAS webpage.

Please see the Background Quality Report for full details of survey methodology, analysis, and data quality considerations.

Only differences that are statistically significant are commented on in this report; statistical tests were carried out at the 99% confidence level. This is at a fairly stringent level and means that there should be less than a 1% (1 in 100) chance that differences observed in ResCAS results are not representative of the Volunteer Reserves as a whole. This reduces the likelihood of wrongly concluding that there has been an actual change based on the survey results, which only cover a sample of the Volunteer Reserves.

Summary of attitudinal questions (highest to lowest positive scoring)

Figure 5: Summary of Attitudinal Questions (Part 1 of 2)

Figure 5 shows a stacked bar chart showing part one of the highest positive scoring attitudinal questions in descending order. Proud to be in the Reserves and family support are the joint highest positive scoring questions with 89% agreeing. My main civilian employer supports my Reserve service follows at 81%.

Figure 6: Summary of Attitudinal Questions (Part 2 of 2)

Figure 6 shows a stacked bar chart showing part two of the highest positive scoring attitudinal questions in descending order. Change is managed well in the [Service] Reserve is lowest scoring, with only 30% agreeing.

Summary of changes compared to baseline (attitudinal questions only: % Positive responses)

Figure 7 through to Figure 9 below show the statistically significant increases and decreases in percent of positive responses compared to the 2015 baseline year (in no particular order). Tri-Service changes are largely driven by the Army Reserve, as the Army Reserve is a large constituent of the total Volunteer Reserves population.

Figure 7: Summary of changes against the baseline (Part 1 of 3)

Figure 8: Summary of changes against the baseline (Part 2 of 3)

Figure 9: Summary of changes against the baseline (Part 3 of 3)

Summary of Service differences (attitudinal questions only: % Positive responses)

Figure 10 below shows the results to questions where one Reserve Service has scored significantly higher than both the other two Reserve Services, or where one Reserve Service has scored significantly lower than both the other two Reserve Services.

The Army Reserves do not score higher than both the Maritime Reserves or RAF Reserves for any question, and score lower than both nine times. The RAF Reserves do not score lower than both the other two Services for any question, scoring higher than both nine times.

Figure 10: Summary of Service differences

Summary of Officer and Other Rank differences (attitudinal questions only: % Positive responses)

Figure 11 below is a bar chart showing the difference in attitudes between Officers and Other Ranks. There are many aspects of serving in the Volunteer Reserves where Officers report statistically significantly higher levels of satisfaction compared to Other Ranks. These include satisfaction with pay, the application of military-acquired skills in civilian employment, the amount of leadership training received, the quality and availability of personal equipment required for their role and career management within their unit. Conversely, Other Ranks are more likely to feel change is effectively managed within the [Service] Reserve.

Figure 11: Summary of Officer and Other Rank differences

Overall satisfaction and commitment

Just over two-thirds (68%) of Volunteer Reserves are satisfied with Service life in general, nine in ten (89%) are proud to be part of their Reserve Service and just over three quarters (78%) would recommend joining the [Service] Reserves to others.

All three attitudinal measures are at a similar level to last year, but are down from 2023 levels (75%, 92% and 83% in 2023 respectively).

Figure 12 below shows these three measures against 2015 baseline levels. All three measures are now lower than they were in 2015.

Figure 12: Satisfied: Satisfaction with life in the [Service] Reserve in general & Agree: Proud to be in the [Service] Reserve and recommend joining the [Service] Reserve against baseline year

Maritime Reserves have seen a decrease in satisfaction in Service life, down to 66% this year from 75% in 2024. Maritime Reserves satisfaction of Service life is similar to 2023 levels again, after an increase last year. The Maritime Reserves’ pride in being part of their service and advocacy for their service has remained stable since last year.

Army levels of satisfaction with Service life (68%) has remained similar to last year. The Army Reserve also reported similar levels in pride (88%) and advocacy (78%) for their service compared to last year.

RAF Reserve levels of satisfaction with life in the Service has remained relatively stable this year (75%). Pride (94%) and advocacy (83%) for their Service are both also unchanged since last year. RAF Reserves reported higher levels of satisfaction with reserve life and pride in Service than both the Maritime Reserves and Army Reserves.

Figure 13 shows the changes in general satisfaction with Service life for each Service since last year. Maritime Reserves satisfaction has decreased, whilst Army Reserves and RAF Reserves have remained stable.

Figure 13: Satisfied: Satisfaction with life in the [Service] Reserve in general by Service against last year

A majority of Volunteer Reserves report having a strong personal attachment to their Service (68%), feeling inspired by their Service to perform the best in their job (61%), and being motivated to help their Service achieve its objectives (56%). These measures have all remained at similar levels to last year’s results, both at a Tri-Service and within individual Reserve Services.

Army Reserve levels of personal attachment and motivation to achieve Service goals have remained stable compared to baseline 2018 levels, with inspiration to do the best in your role decreasing over the same period. The Maritime Reserves have experienced a drop in all three measures since 2018 baseline levels, whilst the RAF Reserves inspiration to do the best in their role and motivation have decreased over the same period.

Figure 14: Agree: The [Service] Reserve inspires me to do the best in my role, motivates me to help it achieve it’s objectives and I feel a strong personal attachment to the [Service] Reserves by Service

Figure 14 shows the levels of agreement that the [Service] Reserve inspires personnel to do the best in their role, motivates them to help it achieve it’s objectives and feeling a strong personal attachment to the [Service] Reserves broken down by Service. Army Reserves have the lowest personal attachment for the Reserves. Inspiration to do the best job for the Reserves is relatively stable across the three Services.

Feeling valued in the Reserves

Nearly four in ten (38%) of Volunteer Reserves agree that they feel valued by Regulars, whilst just over three in ten (31%) disagree, showing consistent levels compared to last year. Three in ten Reservists (30%) neither agree nor disagree that they feel valued by Regulars which may, at least in part, reflect a lack of contact between Reservists and Regulars (AFCAS 2025 results show that 46% of Regulars have had working contact with Reserves in the last 2 years).

Army Reserves feel the least valued by Regulars (36% in 2025) compared to the other two Services. Although, there has been an increase in Army Reserves feeling valued by Regulars since the baseline year (29% in 2015). There has also been an increase in feeling valued by Regulars since the baseline for the RAF Reserve, up from 36% in 2015 to 50% in 2025.

Figure 15 shows how valued by Regulars the Reserves feel by Service against the baseline year. The Maritime Reserves are the only Service to not feel more valued now than in 2015.

Figure 15: Agree: I feel valued by Regulars broken down by Service against baseline year

The proportion of Officers feeling valued by Regulars (45%) is higher than the baseline (40% in 2015). This level has remained stable since last year. The proportion of Other Ranks feeling valued by Regulars (36%) has also increased compared to the 2015 baseline (28%) and has also remained stable since last year. This comparison of Officers and Other Ranks to the baseline year can be seen in Figure 16.

Officers (45%) are more likely to feel valued by Regulars compared to Other Ranks (36%).

Figure 16: Agree: I feel valued by Regulars broken down by Rank against baseline year

Four in ten (40%) of Volunteer Reserves feel valued by society. This is lower than 2015 baseline levels (50%) and is at the same level as last year. At the Service level, feeling valued by society has remained stable since last year, but is at a lower level than the 2015 baseline for each Service.

Figure 17: Agree: I feel valued by society by Service against baseline year

Figure 17 shows how valued by society the Reserves feel by Service against the baseline year of 2015. All Services feel less valued now than in 2015, with RAF Reserves having the largest percentage point decrease from 51% to 40%.

Fairness in the Reserves

The majority of Volunteer Reserves agree that they are treated fairly (78%), which is at a similar level to last year. However, this has decreased since 2023 (82%). Nearly three quarters of Volunteer Reserves feel that Service discipline is fair (72%), which is also at a similar level to last year and has decreased since 2023 (78%).

Over one in eight (12%) Volunteer Reserves reported that they have been subject to any bullying, discrimination, or harassment in a Service environment in the last 12 months. This has remained stable at a Tri Service level and for each individual Reserve Service since last year, but is higher than when the question was introduced in 2019 (9%). Maritime Reserves reported lower levels of bullying, discrimination and harassment compared to 2023 (14% in 2023 down to 7% in 2025). Although direct comparisons have not been made, figures from AFCAS 2025 have been provided in Figure 18 below for contextual information, where Reserves reports of bullying, harassment and discrimination can be seen alongside regulars.

12% of both the Reserves and Regulars have reported experiencing at least one of bullying, harassment and discrimination in the last year.

Figure 18: Yes: Believe you have been subject to bullying, discrimination, harassment or any of the above in a Service environment in the last 12 months broken down by Reserves and Regulars

Since last year, there were no differences for Ethnic minorities (excluding white minorities) in feeling that they are treated fairly (81%) or felt that they had experienced bullying, harassment or discrimination in the last 12 months (8%). This is similar to White ethnicities, where 78% feel they were treated fairly in the [Service] Reserve and 12% feel they experienced at least one of bullying, harassment and discrimination in the last year. This can be seen below in Figure 19.

Figure 19: Agree: Treated fairly in the [Service] Reserve & Yes: Believe you have been subject to bullying, discrimination, harassment or any of the above in a Service environment in the last 12 months broken down by ethnicity

There was no difference between female and male Reservists in feeling that they are treated fairly in the Reserves. However, females (25%) are more likely to report being subject to bullying, discrimination or harassment in a Service environment in the last 12 months compared to males (9%). This can be seen in Figure 20.

Figure 20: Agree: Treated fairly in the [Service] Reserve & Yes: Believe you have been subject to bullying, discrimination, harassment or any of the above in a Service environment in the last 12 months broken down by gender

Of those Reservists that believe they have been subject to bullying, discrimination or harassment in a Service environment in the last 12 months (12%), over one in six have made a formal written complaint about this (16%).

Of those Reservists that had made a formal written complaint about a perceived incidence of bullying, discrimination, or harassment, 8% were satisfied with the outcome of the complaint while 78% were dissatisfied. Dissatisfaction with the outcome has increased since last year (51% in 2024). Although direct comparisons have not been made, figures from AFCAS 2025 have been provided in Figure 21 below for contextual information.

14% of Regulars who reported experiencing bullying, harassment or discrimination made a formal complaint. However, 36% of Regulars were happy with the outcome, compared to 8% of Reserves. This can be seen in Figure 21 below.

Figure 21: Yes: Made a formal complaint within the last 12 months about this bullying, discrimination and/or harassment & Satisfied: Satisfaction with the outcome broken down by Reserves against Regulars

16% of Reservists have heard of the Service Complaints Ombudsman (SCO) and know a lot about it, 50% have heard of SCO and know a little about it and 20% have heard of the SCO and know nothing about it. 14% have never heard of the SCO. Nearly half (46%) of Officers know a lot about the Service Complaints process compared to only 20% of Other Ranks and similarly with the Ombudsman, more Officers know a lot about it (27% of Officers compared to 12% of Other Ranks).

Civilian employment

Compared to the 2015 baseline level, there has been an increase in the proportion of Volunteer Reserves who report that their civilian employer supports and values their Reserve service, and who report that being a Reservist is good for their civilian career (see Figure 22 below).

Of the three aforementioned measures, civilian employers valuing Reserve service has had the largest percentage point increase, from 50% in 2015 to 65% in 2025. This measure has also risen since last year (59%).

Figure 22: Agree: My main civilian employer supports my Reserve Service, values my Reserve service and being a reservist is good for my civilian career against the baseline year

A greater proportion of Reservists believe that they have been advantaged in a civilian job as a result of their Reserve Service in the last 12 months (20%) compared to the number of reservists that feel that they have been disadvantaged in a civilian job as a result of their Reserve Service (10%).

The proportion of Reservists who feel that they have been unreasonably disadvantaged in a civilian job as a result of their Reserve Service over the last 12 months is similar to the 2015 baseline.

The proportion of Reservists who feel that they have been advantaged in a civilian job as a result of their Reserve Service over the last 12 months has increased compared to the 2015 baseline (up from 14% in 2015 to 20% in 2025). This can be seen in Figure 23 below.

Figure 23: Yes: Do you believe that you have been unreasonably disadvantaged or advantaged in a civilian job as a result of your Reserve Service in the last 12 months against the baseline year

Compared to Other Ranks, Officers are more likely to use skills gained through their military experience in their civilian employment (83% of Officers and 65% for Other Ranks) and to use their civilian skills in their Reserve Service (79% of Officers and 69% for Other Ranks). This is shown in Figure 24 below.

Figure 24: Agree: I use skills gained through my military experience in my civilian employment and civilian skills in the [Service] Reserve broken down by Rank

59% of Volunteer Reserves say that their civilian employer has signed the Armed Forces Covenant, with 26% saying that their employer hadn’t. 15% of Volunteer Reserves didn’t know.

Pay, allowances and admin support

There has been a decrease in satisfaction in Reserve Service Pay within the Volunteer Reserves since 2022.

In 2015, 54% of Volunteer Reserves were satisfied with their Service Pay, which has decreased to 44% in 2025. This is at a similar level to the lowest recorded level in the Survey so far (43% last year). Satisfaction with Pay peaked in 2021 at 57%. Satisfaction with the Annual Bounty has decreased from 72% in 2015 to 64% in 2025.

Satisfaction with Service expense allowances remains similar to 2015 levels (42% in 2025).

Likewise, satisfaction with admin support within the unit is at the same level in 2025 (59%) as it was in 2015.

These comparisons with the baseline year can be seen in Figure 25 below.

Figure 25: Satisfied: Satisfaction with Reserve Service pay, Annual Bounty, Reserves Service expense allowances and the admin support within your unit against the baseline year

Just over half (57%) of Officers are satisfied with their Reserve Service pay compared to 39% of Other Ranks. Satisfaction with pay has decreased for Officers since 2022 (62% in 2022 to 57% in 2025) and Other Ranks (47% in 2022 to 39% in 2025).

There is minimal difference between Officers and Other Ranks in satisfaction with the Reserve Service expense allowances (42% and 44% respectively). Likewise, the same proportion of Officers and Other Ranks are dissatisfied with Reserves Services expense allowances (both at 31%).

Figure 26 below shows this parity between Officers and Other Ranks in satisfaction with expense allowances, and also shows the large disparity in pay satisfaction (57% for Officers and 39% for Other Ranks).

Figure 26: Satisfied: Satisfaction with your Reserve Service pay and expense allowances broken down by Rank

Officers are more satisfied with their Reserve Pay compared to Other Ranks for all of the Services. This is shown in Figure 27 below. This chart shows satisfaction with Reserve pay by Service and Rank. Army Other Ranks have the lowest satisfaction, with 38% being satisfied, 18 percentage points less than Army Officers.

Figure 27: Satisfied: Satisfaction with Reserve Service pay by Service and Rank

Personal equipment/kit

Satisfaction with the availability of personal equipment/kit at a Tri Service level is the same in 2025 (50%) as it was in 2015. However, there has been a decrease since 2021 where satisfaction was at 57%.

Satisfaction with the standard of personal equipment/kit has decreased at a Tri Service level with satisfaction at 59% in both 2015 and 2021, compared to 53% in 2025.

Figure 28 compares the satisfaction of the availability and standard of personal equipment/kit with the 2015 baseline.

Figure 28: Satisfied: Satisfaction with the availability and standard of personal equipment to do your role compared against the baseline year

A larger proportion of Officers are satisfied with the availability of personal equipment (58%) compared to Other Ranks (47%). Satisfaction for both Officers and Other Ranks has remained at a similar level to last year.

A larger proportion of Officers are happy with the standard of the personal equipment/kit (62%) compared to Other Ranks (50%).

There has been a decrease from the 2015 baseline in satisfaction with the standard of personal kit/equipment for both Officers and Other Ranks (70% to 62% and 57% to 50% respectively).

The differences in satisfaction between Officers and Ranks in 2025 can be seen in Figure 29.

Figure 29: Satisfied: Satisfaction with the availability and standard of personal equipment to do your role by Rank

RAF Reserves are more satisfied with the availability of the personal equipment/kit (66%) compared to Maritime Reserves (55%) and Army Reserves (47%). Army Reserves are less satisfied with the availability of their equipment/kit compared to the other two Services.

RAF Reserves are also more satisfied with the availability of equipment compared to the 2015 baseline (57% in 2015).

Army Reserves are less satisfied with the standard of their equipment/kit (50%) compared to Maritime Reserves (63%) and RAF Reserves (68%).

Army Reserves are also less satisfied with the standard of equipment (50%) compared to the 2015 baseline (58%).

Figure 30: Satisfied: Satisfaction with the availability and standard of personal equipment to do your role by Service

Figure 30 shows the satisfaction with the availability and standard of personal kit and equipment by Reserve Service. It shows how the RAF Reserves are more satisfied than the other two Services with the availability of personal equipment, and also shows the Army Reserves being less satisfied with the standard of personal equipment compared to the other two Services.

Career progression

Just under half (45%) of Volunteer Reserves are satisfied with their career management within their unit, whilst just over a quarter (27%) are dissatisfied.

The proportion of Volunteer Reserves that are satisfied with their career management in their unit in 2025 is at a similar level to what it was in 2015. Each of the three Services also have similar levels of satisfaction with their career management within their unit compared to the baseline year of 2015.

Figure 31: Satisfied: Satisfaction with career management within your unit and opportunities for promotion compared against the baseline year

Figure 31 shows satisfaction with career management and opportunities for promotion against 2015 levels. Satisfaction with both career management within units and promotion opportunities have remained relatively stable since 2015 baseline levels.

Satisfaction with opportunities for promotion has remained similar to last year (38% in 2025).

RAF Reserve Officers are less satisfied with opportunities for promotion (27%) compared to Maritime Reserve Officers (41%) and Army Reserve Officers (41%). Among the Other Ranks, the Army Reserve are less satisfied with their opportunities for promotion (35%) than Maritime Reserve (49%). 42% of RAF Reserve Other Ranks are satisfied with opportunities for promotion.

Overall, the Maritime Reserves are more satisfied with opportunities for promotion than the Army and RAF Reserves.

Figure 32 shows the satisfaction with opportunities for promotion by Service and Rank in 2025.

Figure 32: Satisfied: Satisfaction with opportunities for promotion by by Service and Rank in 2025

Just over half of Volunteer Reserves (52%) are satisfied with their opportunities for personal development, which is at a similar level as baseline 2015 levels (47%). Satisfaction with opportunities for personal development remains at similar levels to last year (50% in 2024).

Opportunities for personal development is one of the most popular reasons given by respondents for joining the Volunteer Reserve and their reasons for staying — see the Reasons for joining and staying in the Reserves section.

Figure 33: Satisfied: Satisfaction with opportunities for personal development by Service against the baseline year

Figure 33 shows satisfaction with opportunities for personal development by Service against baseline levels. All Services see similar levels of satisfaction compared to 2015 baseline levels.

Training and development

Almost two thirds of Volunteer Reserves are satisfied with the amount (58%) and quality (64%) of training they have received for their current role. Satisfaction with the amount of training is the joint lowest it has been since ResCAS began, and remains at the same level as last year (58%). Satisfaction with the quality of training has remained the same since last year (64%), and is at a similar level to the 2015 baseline level.

Figure 34 shows satisfaction with the amount and quality of training received for current role against the 2015 baseline year. Both remain at a similar level to the baseline year.

Figure 34: Satisfied: Satisfaction with the amount and quality of training received for current role against the baseline year

Around half (52%) of Volunteer Reserves are satisfied with the amount of leadership training received, which has increased since the 2015 baseline (46%).

There has been a decrease in Volunteer Reserves being satisfied with their opportunities to take part in Adventurous Training since the 2015 baseline (from 57% in 2015 to 50% in 2025).

Figure 35: Satisfied: Satisfaction with the amount of leadership training received and opportunities to take part in Adventurous Training against the baseline year

Figure 35 shows satisfaction with the amount of leadership training and opportunities for taking part in Adventurous Training against baseline levels. 46% were happy with the amount of leadership training in 2015, this has risen to 52% in 2025. 57% were satisfied with the opportunities to take part in adventurous training in 2015, this has decreased to 50% in 2025.

The Maritime Reserve (67%) has the highest level of satisfaction with the amount of leadership training they have received compared to the Army Reserve (51%) and the RAF Reserve (49%).

At a Tri-Service level, more Officers (64%) are satisfied with the amount of leadership training they have received compared to Other Ranks (48%).

There has been an increase in Maritime Officers and Army Officers satisfaction with the amount of leadership training they have received compared to the 2015 baseline (63% to 77% and 54% to 63% respectively).

Figure 36: Satisfied: Satisfaction with amount of leadership training received broken down by Service and Rank

Figure 36 shows satisfaction with the amount of leadership training by Service and Rank. Ranks are less satisfied with amount of leadership training in the Maritime Reserves and Army Reserves. Maritime Reserve Other Ranks (60%) are the most satisfied with opportunities for leadership training, reporting higher levels than Army Reserves Other Ranks (47%) and RAF Reserves Other Ranks (49%).

Family Support

Around nine in ten (89%) of Volunteer Reserves feel that their family supports their Reserve Service, which is similar to 2015 baseline levels, but an increase on 2024 levels. Furthermore, nearly four out of five (79%) of Volunteer Reserves feel that their family values their Reserve service, similar to 2015 baseline levels and last year’s levels. 20% of Reserve service personnel report that their families would prefer that they were not a reservist, the same level as 2015 baseline levels and last year.

Figure 37: Agree: My family supports and values my Reserve Service against the baseline year

Figure 37 shows levels of agreement that families support and value Reserve Service against the baseline year.

Mobilisation

Overall, the percentage of Volunteer Reservists mobilised has increased since 2020 from 26% to 38% in 2025. 2025 levels are similar to baseline 2015 levels (40%), and similar to last year (35%).

The percentage of Army Reserves being mobilised is similar to the 2015 baseline (39% in 2015 to 37% in 2025). There are similar proportions of Officers at a Tri Service level (40%) that have been mobilised compared to Other Ranks (37%).

The proportion of Reservists responding yes to being mobilised in the last three years remained stable between 2018 (when the question was first asked) and 2020. From 2020 (6%), there was an increase to 17% in 2021 and this remains stable at 18% in 2025.

Figure 38: Yes: Been mobilised as a Reservist compared against the baseline year

Figure 38 shows the percentage of Reserves who have been mobilised compared with the baseline year. This remains at a similar level in 2025 compared to 2015.

Of those Volunteer Reserves that have been mobilised (38%), 61% are satisfied with the support they received from the Service when they were last mobilised.

Around three quarters (74%) of the RAF Reserve are satisfied with the support they received from the Service when they were last mobilised, significantly higher than the other two Services. On the other hand, only 45% of Maritime Reserves are satisfied, which is significantly lower than the other two Services. 61% of the Army Reserve are satisfied.

Under half (43%) of Volunteer Reserves are satisfied with the support their family received from the Service when they were last mobilised.

Figure 39: Satisfied: Satisfaction with support you received from the [Service] when last mobilised and with the support your family received from the [Service] when you were last mobilised broken down by Service

Figure 39 shows satisfaction with support received from the Service directly and for family when last mobilised. Satisfaction with the support their family received was 47% for the Maritime Reserve, 41% for the Army Reserve and 48% for the RAF Reserve.

Reasons for joining and staying in the Reserves

The top 5 reasons for joining the Volunteer Reserve and the top 5 reasons for staying in the Volunteer Reserve are almost identical and feature most of the same top 5 reasons as the 2024 survey.

The top 5 reasons for joining the Reserves are: to serve my country (66%), personal development (61%), for the challenge (61%), to make a difference/do something worthwhile (56%) and for the excitement and adventure (49%).

The top 5 reasons for staying in the Reserves are: to serve my country (56%), personal development (50%), the people, friends and camaraderie (47%), to make a difference/do something worthwhile (46%) and for the challenge (45%).

Taking a closer look at the reasons for joining, the data suggests that the reasons can be clustered in the following ways, where reasons within a cluster have a stronger association with each other than with reasons that appear in a different cluster:

1. To serve my country, and to make a difference/do something worthwhile.

2. For the challenge, personal development, and to do something different.

3. For the excitement and adventure, to travel and experience new places, and to go on exercise or be deployed.

4. For fitness and to do something active, and the courses/skills training on offer.

5. To meet like minded people and make new friends, and the experience of Service life.

6. Reserve pay or bounty, for the type of work, former Regular and wanted to carry on serving

7. Career opportunities in the [Service] Reserve, to develop my civilian career, interested in joining the Regulars in the future, recommended by friends family or colleagues.

Figure 40: Main reasons for joining and staying in the [Service] Reserves

Figure 40 shows the main reasons for joining and staying in the Reserves. To serve my country scores top in the reasons for joining and staying. Personal development scores high in reasons for joining and staying.

Reasons for leaving the Reserves

Of the 5% of Reservists that intended to leave the Reserves within the next year, the most commonly selected reasons that played a part in their decision were:

• 47% reported poor management and leadership
• 43% reported they don’t feel valued by the Service
• 35% reported they’re bored with the [Service] Reserve.

Results are not presented by Service or by Officers and Other Ranks due to the small number of Reservists intending to stay in the Reserve for less than one year.

Figure 41: Reasons for leaving the [Service] Reserves

Figure 41 shows a bar chart explaining the main reasons given for leaving the Reserves. Poor management and leadership was the most given reason for leaving at 47%, overtaking not feeling valued by the Service as the most selected reason, which came in second at 43% this year. Being bored with the [Service] Reserve was the third most selected reason this year at 35%.

About you

This section provides some insight into the demographics of reservists.

It should be noted that these statistics are survey estimates of the Volunteer Reserves based on weighted survey data.

• RAF Reservists are more likely to be married/in a civil partnership (59%) compared to Maritime (48%) and Army (42%). Army Reservists are less likely than the other two Services to be married/in a civil partnership.

• Around a third (32%) of Maritime Reservists have a higher university degree/doctorate/MBA or equivalent, more than the Army Reserves (23%) and at a similiar level to the RAF Reserves (30%).

• There has been no significant change in full time civilian employment over the last twelve months (58%), both overall and for Officers (51%) and Other Ranks (60%).

• Other Ranks (60%) are more likely to be in full-time employment compared to Officers (51%).

• More Maritime Reservists (72%) and RAF Reservists (69%) are in full-time employment compared to the Army Reserve (55%).

• RAF Officers (20%) are more likely to be Self-employed compared to Maritime Officers (10%) and Army Officers (10%).

Well-being in the Reserves

The average well-being scores are out of ten and mean averages have been calculated for analysis.

Measuring well-being

The Office for National Statistics collects data on well-being for the UK population in their Annual Population Survey. Average scores and threshold groupings are released in their Personal Well-being in the UK report.

Well-being is measured on a scale of 0 (Not at all) to 10 (Completely).

For the anxiety question, ratings are grouped differently to reflect the fact that higher anxiety is associated with lower personal well-being.

RAF Reserves’ average well-being ratings for life satisfaction (7.4) and happiness (7.3) are higher compared to Maritime Reserves (7.3 and 7.2 respectively) and Army Reserves, who scored the lowest in both measures (7.2 and 7.1 respectively). All three Services returned the same average score for feeling the things they do in life are worthwhile.

Figure 42: Wellbeing average scores by Service

Figure 42 shows the average wellbeing scores for life satisfaction, happiness and feeling things in life are worthwhile by Service. For overall satisfaction with life, RAF Reserves average 7.4 out of 10, compared to Maritime Reserves and RAF Reserves who average 7.3 and 7.2 out of 10 respectively.

The following percentages and comparisons have been calculated by summing the “Very high” and “High” estimates and comparisons are not based on statistical tests.

71% of Reservists reported high to very high levels of satisfaction with life nowadays, 67% reported high to very high levels of happiness felt yesterday and 69% felt that the things they do in their life are worthwhile.

Wellbeing scores were broadly similar across Services. RAF Reservists reported higher levels of “Very High 9-10” (25%) when rating how satisfied they are with life nowadays compared to Maritime (21%) and Army (21%).

Officers have higher levels of happiness (74% for Officers, 64% for Other Ranks), life satisfaction (78% for Officers, 70% for Other Ranks) and feeling things in life are worthwhile (78% for Officers, 65% for Other Ranks) compared to Other Ranks. Officers having higher levels of well-being across the board can be seen in Figure 43 below.

Figure 43: Wellbeing scores grouped from low to very high by Rank

The following percentages and comparisons have been calculated by summing the “Very low” and “Low” estimates and comparisons are not based on statistical tests.

59% of personnel felt low levels of anxiety yesterday, with Officers (64% reporting low anxiety) having slightly higher levels of low anxiety compared to Other Ranks (58% reporting low anxiety). In Figure 44 below, a stacked bar chart shows the grouped wellbeing scores for levels of anxiety felt yesterday. 35% of personnel felt very low levels of anxiety yesterday.

Figure 44: Levels of anxiety scores grouped from very low to high by Rank

National comparison

National well-being results are not directly comparable to those of Reserve Service personnel due to differences in demographics i.e. the majority of Reserve Service personnel are male. Furthermore, national figures include a larger proportion of over 60s who generally score their well-being higher than younger people.

Managing Change

At a Tri-Service level, agreement that change is managed well at a team, unit and Service Reserve level has remained at similar levels to last year.

Six in ten (60%) agree change is managed well in their immediate team, over half (52%) agree change is managed well in their unit/establishment and three in ten (30%) agree change is managed well in their Service Reserve.

Figure 45 below compares satisfaction with change management at a team, unit and Service Reserve level against 2023 baseline levels. Agreement that change is managed well at the unit and Service level has decreased since 2023, whilst at a team level, agreement has remained similar.

Figure 45: Agree: Change is managed well in my immediate working team, Unit/Establishment and the [Service] Reserve broken compared against the baseline year

Methodology

1. Target population

The target population is all volunteer reservists excluding Non-Regular Permanent Staff (NRPS), Special Forces and those deployed at the time the surveys were administered.

2. The survey

Data collection took place between January 2025 and April 2025.

For the Maritime Reserve and RAF Reserve a census approach was used. After exclusions, 2,516 questionnaires went out to Maritime Volunteer Reserves and 2,781 questionnaires went out to RAF Volunteer Reserves.

Maritime Reservists were able to complete an online self-completion questionnaire, via generic web link distributed to their Defence Gateway addresses from their Unit. Links were also posted on all Units Defence Gateway pages which can be accessed by unit ships company.

Army Reservists were directed to complete the survey solely through an online questionnaire for the first time, meaning there were no paper surveys distributed this year.

The Army sample excluded Special Forces, Mobilised, Unposted List, Army Reserves Reinforcement Group and anyone who had not received pay in the preceding 6-month period.

The Army sample was designed to provide sufficient responses to yield estimates with a margin of error of plus or minus 3% by four rank groups: Officers - Major and above; Officers - Captain and below; Soldiers – Sergeant and above; Soldiers – Corporal and below.

RAF Reservists were able to complete an online self-completion questionnaire.

3. The sample and respondents

The ResCAS 2025 sample consisted of 18,945 volunteer reservists. 3,993 responses were used in the ResCAS 2025 analysis, giving an overall response rate of 21%, down tweve percentage points since 2020 (2021 was down seven percentage points from 2020). The table below contains information on the number of questionnaires issued and received along with corresponding response rates.

Volunteer Reserve Service	Officer/Other Rank	Sample size	Respondents (No of useable returns)	2025 Response rate
Maritime	Officer	956	364	38%
Maritime	Other Rank	1,560	381	24%
Maritime	Total	2,516	745	30%
Army	Officer	3,255	1,329	41%
Army	Other Rank	10,393	1,335	13%
Army	Total	13,648	2,664	20%
RAF (RAUXAF)	Officer	694	146	21%
RAF (RAUXAF)	Other Rank	2,087	438	21%
RAF (RAUXAF)	Total	2,781	584	21%
Tri-Service	Officer	4,905	1,839	37%
Tri-Service	Other Rank	14,040	2,154	15%
Tri-Service	Total	18,945	3,993	21%

Note that percentages have been rounded to the nearest whole % for ease of interpretation.

The counts for the RAF Volunteer Reserve responses are determined by the question “Are you…?”, where the former of the two response options (“RAF Volunteer Reservist” and “RAF Regular Reservist”) is used for this calculation. Based on these options respondents are allocated to either response group, with those serving on a RAuxAF Squadron, Unit, or elsewhere in the RAF/Defence being allocated to “RAF Volunteer Reserve” (RAFVR) and those serving on a fixed-term Reserve contract being allocated to “RAF Regular Reserve” (RAFR, FTRS, ADC, VeRR, SR).

The calculation of RAF Volunteer Reserve response rates is based on the population figures of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force (RAuxAF) at the closest available time to the sampling date. This population encompasses FTRS and ADC personnel without prior service history. This may result in a slight misalignment between Volunteer Reserve response counts and the corresponding population figures used in the response rates calculation.

4. Weighting methodology and non-response

Due to the sample design and the differences in prevalence of non-response between the Service and rank strata, the distribution of characteristics amongst the ResCAS respondents did not reflect the distribution in the whole Volunteer Reserve population. Response rates tend to vary by rank, therefore responses are weighted by rank in order to correct for the bias caused by over or under-representation.

The weights were calculated simply by:

1. Calculating the population size within weighted class (p)
2. Dividing by the number of responses within weighted class (r)

Weighting in this way assumes missing data are missing at random (MAR) only within weighting classes. This means we assume that within a single weighting class the views of non-respondents do not differ (on average) to the views of respondents.

Weighting Class	Weighting Applied
RMR Officer	4.90
RMR Ratings/ORs	7.19
RNR Officer	3.31
RNR Ratings/ORs	4.37

Weighting Class	Weighting Applied
Army Col and above - OF5 and above	2.65
Army Major / Lt Col - OF3/OF4	3.63
Army LCpl / Cpl - OR3/OR4	14.88
Army Capt - OF2	4.64
Army Officer Cadet/ Untrained 2Lt (not completed Ph2 training)/ Trained 2Lt (completed Ph2 training)/ Lt - OF(D)/ OF1	9.08
Army WO2 / WO1 - OR8/OR9	4.48
Army Sgt / SSgt - OR6/OR7	7.05
Army Trained Private soldier (completed Ph2 training) - OR1/OR2	71.72
Army Untrained Private (not completed Ph2 training) - OR1/OR2	151.75

Weighting Class	Weighting Applied
RAF Volunteer Reserve Wg Cdr or above - OF4+	7.86
RAF Volunteer Reserve Sqn Ldr - OF3	5.73
RAF Volunteer Reserve Flt Lt - OF2	3.76
RAF Volunteer Reserve Officer Cadet/FG Off/Plt Off - OF(D)/OF1	2.71
RAF Volunteer Reserve WO or MACR - OR9	6.22
RAF Volunteer Reserve FS/ChfTech - OR7	4.15
RAF Volunteer Reserve Sgt - OR6	5.22
RAF Volunteer Reserve Recruit/AC/LAC/SAC/Jnr Tech/Cpl - OR1/OR2/OR3/OR4	5.20

Note: Weights have been rounded in the tables above to 2 decimal places. Non-rounded weights were applied during analysis. The rank OR-8 does not exist in the RAF and there is no equivalent OR-5 rank in the UK AF.

5. Analysis and statistical tests

Attitudinal questions in the questionnaires have generally been regrouped to assist in analysing results and to aid interpretation. For example, questions asked at a 5-point level (e.g. Strongly agree – Agree – Neither Agree nor Disagree – Disagree – Strongly Disagree) have been regrouped to a 3-point level (e.g. (Agree – Neutral – Disagree).

Missing values, where respondents have not provided a response/valid response, have not been included in the analysis. In addition, some questions are filtered to exclude invalid responses. As a result the unweighted counts (or ‘n’) will vary from question to question and these are shown within the reference tables published alongside this report on the ResCAS webpage (see 6. Format of the reference tables below for a link to the tables).

Unless otherwise specified, “Don’t know” and “Not applicable” responses are ignored and percentages are based only on the numbers of respondents who chose the remaining item response options.

Where applicable, Z-tests at a 1% alpha level were used to test whether observed estimates were significantly different to estimates from previous surveys. A statistically significant difference means that there is enough evidence that the change observed is unlikely to be due to chance variation (less than a 1% probability that the difference is the result of chance alone).

If those volunteer reservists that did not respond to the survey would have had different responses to those that did then the survey results will be biased.

6. Format of the reference tables (published separately to the report can be found on the ResCAS webpage)

Each reference table refers to a question asked in the survey and includes estimates of the proportion of the population by category as well as margins of error associated with those estimates.

Tables are arranged generally in the order in which they were asked in the questionnaires, which is not the same as the order of the sections in the Main Report.

An index is available within the Excel tables. Each table is broken down by Service and also by Rank Group with the Total column referring to the Officers and Other Ranks results combined.

Section	Table Numbers
01 Life in the Reserves	B1.1 - B1.11
02a Reasons for Joining the Reserves	B2a.1 - B2a.19
02b Reasons for Staying in the Reserves	B2b.1 - B2b.18
02c Reasons for Leaving the Reserves	B2c.1 - B2c.21
03 Pay, Allowances and Admin Support	B3.1 - B3.4
04 Kit and Equipment	B4.1 - B4.2
05 Mobilisation	B5.1 - B5.4
06 Training	B6.1 - B6.4
07 Career Progression	B7.1 - B7.3
08 Perception of Reserves	B8.1 - B8.2
09 Family Support	B9.1 - B9.3
10 Your Civilian Employment	B10.1 - B10.14
11a Fairness at Work; All	B11a.1 - B11a.12
11b Fairness at Work; Ethnicity	B11b.1 - B11b.2
11c Fairness at Work; Gender	B11c.1 - B11c.2
12 About You	B12.1 - B12.15
13 Well-being	B13.1 - B13.4a
14 Managing Change	B14.1 - B14.3

Glossary

Additional Duties Commitment Reservists who undertake part-time work with the Armed Forces with a minimum commitment of 13 weeks - at least one day a week throughout this period.

Adventurous Training Training undertaken in an outdoor environment intended to develop skills and abilities required in operational deployment.

AFCAS Armed Forces Continuous Attitude Survey.

Air Training Corps The Air Training Corps is a British youth organisation sponsored by the Ministry of Defence and the Royal Air Force.

Annual Bounty A tax-free lump sum paid on completion of annual training commitment.

Army Cadet Force The Army Cadet Force is a national youth organisation sponsored by the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence and the British Army.

Army Personnel Centre The APC is the administrative centre for Army personnel records, formed in December 1996, and which formally ceased to be a Defence Agency as at 1 April 2004.

Combined Cadet Force The Combined Cadet Force is a Ministry of Defence sponsored youth organisation in the UK. Its aim is to “provide a disciplined organisation in a school so that pupils may develop powers of leadership by means of training to promote the qualities of responsibility, self-reliance, resourcefulness, endurance and perseverance.

FAMCAS Families Continuous Attitude Survey

Full-Time Reserve Service (FTRS) Those on FTRS fill Service posts on a full-time basis while being a member of one of the reserve services, either as an ex-regular or as a volunteer. In the case of the Army and the Naval Service, these will be posts that would ordinarily have been filled by regular service personnel. In the case of the RAF, FTRS personnel also fill posts designated solely for them.

JPA Joint Personnel Administration is the system used by the Armed Forces to deal with matters of pay, leave and other personal administrative tasks.

Maritime Reserves A term that covers the combined Royal Navy Reserve (RNR) and Royal Marine Reserve (RMR).

Missing at Random (MAR) Statistical theory that states that those who did not respond to a question do not differ from those who did respond.

Missing Values Refers to the situation where a respondent has not submitted an answer or a valid answer to a question.

MOD Ministry of Defence.

n Letter that represents ‘Unweighted Count’. This is the actual number of Volunteer Reservists that provided a valid response to a question in the survey.

N/A Not applicable.

NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.

Neutral In Key Results and Tables, refers to the situation where there is neither agreement or disagreement, satisfaction or dissatisfaction, positions taken in response to a question.

Non-response Refers either to a person who although sampled and sent a questionnaire did not reply or to a respondent who did not reply to a question.

OF Officer of NATO rank designation ranking from ‘1’ lowest to ‘10’ highest.

Officer(s) All Officers of NATO ranks OF1 to OF10.

OR Other Ranks of NATO rank designation ranking from ‘OR1’ lowest to ‘OR9’ highest

Other Rank(s) Other Ranks are members of the Royal Marines, Army and Royal Air Force who are not Officers. The equivalent group in the Royal Navy is known as “Ratings”.

RAF Royal Air Force.

Regular Reserve Former members of the UK regular forces who have a liability for service with the Reserve forces. Includes the Royal Fleet Reserve, Army Reserve and Royal Air Force Reserve as well as other individuals liable to recall.

Reserves Continuous Attitude Survey (ResCAS) ) Refers to the questions asked on a Tri-Service basis in each of the single-Services Reserves Continuous Attitude Surveys.

Royal Marines Reserve (RMR) Approximately 10% of the RMR are working with the Regular Corps on long term attachments, mostly FTRS. The remainder are Volunteer Reserves.

Royal Naval Reserve (RNR) Formed in 1859 it was merged with the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve (RNVR) in 1958, and also incorporates the former Women’s Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve (WRNVR) and QARNNS (Reserve). See Volunteer Reserves.

Sea Cadet Corps The Sea Cadet Corps is a national youth organisation sponsored by the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence and the Royal Navy.

Service(s) Royal Navy, Royal Marines, Army and RAF.

Standard Error A measure derived using weighting factors from the sample proportion and unweighted count in a sampling distribution and used as a benchmark in order to ascertain a range of values within which the true population proportion could lie.

Statistically significant Refers to the result of a statistical test in which there is evidence of a change in proportions between years, ranks, or Services.

Statistical tests Refers to those tests which are carried out to see if any evidence exists for a change in response proportions from one year to another.

Trained Trained Strength comprises military personnel who have completed Phase 1 and 2 training. * Phase 1 Training includes all new entry training to provide basic military skills. * Phase 2 Training includes initial individual specialisation, sub-specialisation and technical training following Phase 1 training prior to joining the trained strength.

Tri-Service (Reserve) Refers to the Maritime Reserve, Army Reserve, and RAF Reserve collectively.

UK United Kingdom.

Unit A sub-organisation of the Service in which personnel are employed.

Untrained See Trained above.

Unweighted Count Refers to the actual number of Volunteer Reservists that provided a valid response to a question in the survey.

Volunteer Reserves Volunteer Reserves are civilian volunteers who undertake to give a certain amount of their time to train in support of the Regular Forces. They include the Royal Naval Reserve, the Royal Marines Reserve, the Army Reserve and the Royal Auxiliary Air Force but do not include Royal Fleet Auxiliary Service (RFA). Some Volunteer Reservists undertake (paid) Full-Time Reserve Service.

Weighting (factors) Refers to factors that are applied to the respondent data set by Service and rank group in order to make respondent Service rank groups representative of their population equivalents.

Weighting class Refers to those members of a specific rank group to whom a weighting factor is applied.

Z-test Statistical test based on a standardised distribution which allows comparison between years for populations of different sizes.

Further Information

Disclosure Control and Rounding

Tables with low unweighted counts and senstive breakdowns have had their unweighted counts rounded up to the nearest 5. Where this rounding policy is applied, sub-totals and totals have been rounded seperately so may not equal the sum of their parts.

Revisions

We have made the following corrections to historical data which were due to data processing errors.

• Table B10.1: Tri Service estimates for ‘Not applicable – I am FTRS’ were omitted between 2021 and 2024.

• Table B10.2: Tri Service ‘Key Worker’ estimates were omitted for 2022 and 2023. Additionally, RAF estimates for ‘Other’ and ‘Key Worker’ were interchanged for 2024, resulting in minor inaccuracies including to the Tri Service ‘Other’ estimate in 2024.

• Table B11b.1: Maritime Reserve ethnicity groupings were affected, leading to a minor error in the ‘neither agree nor disagree’ estimate within White Ethnicities for 2024.

All errors have been corrected, and revised tables are marked with an ‘r’ and accompanied by footnotes explaining the changes. We have conducted a thorough review of our processes to prevent future occurrences.

These revisions affect sections 10 (Civilian Employment) and 11b (Fairness at Work – Ethnicity).

Contact Us

The Analysis Directorate welcomes feedback on our statistical products. If you have any comments or questions about this publication or about our statistics in general, you can contact us as follows:

Email: Analysis-Publications@mod.gov.uk

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If you wish to correspond by mail, our postal address is:

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