Summary:

The attached findings (narrative and Power Point) on Armed Forces Recreation Centers from the Fall 1998 Sample Survey of Military Personnel (F '98SSMP) and selected findings from the F '96 SSMP provide officer and enlisted data on: visiting AFRCs, comparable value of quality and price of AFRCs, and reasons for not using AFRCs.

Findings include:

• Slightly more than two-thirds of officers (69%) and one-half of enlisted personnel (49%) have visited an AFRC.

• More than two-fifths of officers (45%) and almost one-third of enlisted personnel (29%) have visited AFRCs during the last 36 months.

• Of officers who have visited an AFRC in the last 36 months, Dragon Hill (38%), Garmish (37%), and Hale Koa Hotel (33%) were visited more than any other AFRC.

• From F'96 to F'98 there was a statistically significant increase in officers visiting Dragon Hill (28% and 38%), and a statistically significant decrease in visiting Garmish (44% to 37%).

Of those enlisted personnel who have visited an AFRC in the last 36 months, Dragon Hill was visited (43%) more than any other AFRC

From F'96 to F'98 there was a statistically significant decrease in enlisted soldiers visiting Garmish from F '96 (39%) to F '98 (29%).

When comparing the quality and price of AFRC facilities with other comparable commercial recreation centers, most officer (69%) and enlisted (61%) personnel regarded the AFRCs as a better value.  These percentages remained stable from F '96 to F '98.

For officers the top two reasons for their not using AFRCs was "too far away given my vacation plans" (32%) and "could not get reservations" (23%).

For enlisted personnel the top two reasons for their not using AFRCs was "not aware of the AFRCs" (41%) and "wanted to do something else" (23%).