78% of veterans say they feel the public perception of veterans is positive and 64% of vets have faith in our military. 54% of veterans say they would encourage family members to join the military today. Surveyed veterans also give the VA a “C” grade while seeking less bureaucracy and red tape.
The findings come from a poll conducted by SurveyUSA on behalf of Veterans Help Group, one of the nations leading advocates for disabled Veterans. The poll was commissioned in an effort to put veterans and disabled veterans issues in the forefront of the national conversation so that during this time of transition their voices are heard and their concerns are taken seriously.
“Veterans are an important voice in our country. Their insight on issues that impact their lives and families is not only good for public conversation but also helps us to continually improve the way we serve disabled vets,” said Joe Waring, a board member of Veterans Help Group.
“All of us at Veterans Help Group are committed to working with anyone who can ease the process and help clear a path to get disabled veterans the access to the benefits they deserve,” added Matt Sauerwald, President, Veterans Help Group.
Highlights of Findings
What is the biggest concern facing veterans and their families today? A large plurality (42%) say it's the treatment of veterans, 28% say it is the economy, and 12% say it's debt. Other issues are in single digits, including immigration at 7%, crime at 3%, and national defense and education, each at 2%.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (the VA) gets a "C" grade from America's veterans, scoring an overall 2.1 GPA on a traditional 4-point GPA scale. Liberal veterans grade a little more generously (a C+), while conservatives give lower scores in the C− range.
What is the single greatest thing the VA could do to improve the lives of families of disabled veterans? Respondents are split between two main options, with 37% saying it would be having less bureaucracy and red tape and 31% calling for better access to care. 17% say more money would be most helpful; 14% say it would be more help for family members.
Veterans were next asked how much faith they had in each of the following institutions. Those saying they had "a great deal" or "significant" faith in each, ranked from most to least, with only the military producing strong numbers:
- 64%: The military
- 33%: The Social Security Administration
- 29%: The Supreme Court of the United States
- 28%: The institution of the office of the President of the United States, regardless of who the specific President is at any given time
- 26%: The Department of Veterans Affairs
- 11%: Congress
Is the U.S. heading the right or wrong direction? 64% wrong, 32% right.
The questions switched from veteran issues to issues of national interest.
Veterans were shown a list of concerns facing the country today and asked to select up to three as being the largest items of concern. Percentage selecting each item, ranked from highest to lowest:
- 44%: High cost of living / inflation
- 41%: Immigration
- 31%: The economy
- 24%: Government / Poor leadership
- 17%: Healthcare – access and affordability
- 16%: Federal budget debt / deficit
- 16%: Crime
- 14%: Abortion
- 13%: Environment / Climate change
- 11%: Treatment of veterans
Which presidential candidate do you feel will be best at addressing the issues facing our country? 52% Donald Trump, 42% Kamala Harris, 7% not sure.
Who do you feel will win the presidential election? 47% Donald Trump, 42% Kamala Harris, 12% not sure.
About the Poll / Filtering
SurveyUSA interviewed 900 US veterans adults age 18+ online from September 19, 2024 through September 22, 2024, using non-probability sample, pre-screened for former U.S. service members, provided by Lucid Holdings LLC of New Orleans. Of the veterans, 19% (174 individuals) were identified as being disabled veterans; 37% (330 individuals) were identified as retired veterans; 44% (396 individuals) were identified as being discharged veterans who were neither disabled nor retired. The pool of adult survey respondents was weighted to targets provided by the Pew Research Center and the National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics for gender, age, and ethnicity.
SurveyUSA interviewed 900 US veterans adults age 18+ online from September 19, 2024 through September 22, 2024, using non-probability sample, pre-screened for former U.S. service members, provided by Lucid Holdings LLC of New Orleans. Of the veterans, 19% (174 individuals) were identified as being disabled veterans; 37% (330 individuals) were identified as retired veterans; 44% (396 individuals) were identified as being discharged veterans who were neither disabled nor retired. The pool of adult survey respondents was weighted to targets provided by the Pew Research Center and the National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics for gender, age, and ethnicity.
More details can be found here.
About Veterans Help Group
Veterans Help Group is a national advocacy business that focuses exclusively on getting veterans and their families the disability benefits they deserve. The group serves all 50 states and is also actively involved in partnering with non-profits that support our veterans. To learn more, visit https://veteranshelpgroup.com.
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