The Integration of Cultural Minorities in the Swiss Armed Forces

Due to a high migration rate, Swiss society became more multicultural. This can be also observed by the composition of the Swiss Armed Forces. Besides other governmental institutions the armed forces contribute to the integration for persons with migration background. In an ongoing research project we analyze the impact of the armed forces on the integration of soldiers with a migration background in the Swiss Armed Forces and also in the civil society. Furthermore, we examine if there are differences between soldiers with migration background and those without migration background concerning their motivation to serve in the armed forces. For this purpose we conducted at three different times a quantitative survey in 17 recruitment schools of Switzerland with a representative sample size of about 6000 conscripts each time.