Frequently asked questions
Taking the survey
How do I get to the survey?
Select Take the Survey anywhere on this site. That opens the DEOCS survey portal, where you enter your work email address and are sent your survey link.
If the portal does not recognize your address, your organization's roster may not list you yet — contact your unit administrator rather than a colleague.
How long does it take?
Most people finish in 15 to 20 minutes. If you need to stop partway, use the link from your invitation email to return.
Do I have to answer every question?
Required items are marked in the survey itself. Demographic items such as gender and race, the follow-up items in the misconduct section, and all written comments are optional — leave any of them blank and continue.
Can I change an answer after moving forward?
Until you submit, yes — use the survey's own back navigation to return to an earlier section. Once you submit, the response is aggregated and cannot be retrieved or edited.
Can I take it on my phone?
Yes. The survey is designed to work on phones, tablets, and desktops in any current browser.
I am on leave or deployed. Should I still take it?
Yes, if you are assigned to the organization during the survey window. Answer about the unit as you have experienced it, not about your current location.
Confidentiality
Can my commander see how I personally answered?
No. Reports contain aggregate figures only. Individual response records are not released to anyone in the chain of command, and the survey does not collect the identifiers that would make that possible.
My unit is small. Could I be identified from the demographic questions?
This is the most common concern, and the reason for small-group suppression: any breakout with fewer than five respondents is suppressed and folded into a larger category. If your unit is small enough that a breakout would identify you, that breakout is never produced. Demographic items are also optional.
What happens to my written comments?
Comments are screened before release. Names, positions specific enough to identify one person, and details of individual incidents are redacted. The most useful comments describe patterns rather than a single episode.
Is my IP address or device recorded?
Technical logging while you take the survey is handled by the survey portal under its own privacy notice — read it on the portal before you begin if this matters to you. Nothing of that kind reaches the climate report, which contains aggregate figures only.
Results
Will I ever see the results?
You should. Leaders are asked to brief results back to the organization within 30 days of receiving the report. If your unit has surveyed before and you never heard the outcome, that is worth raising.
What is a "favorable percentage"?
The share of responses in the top two categories of the scale — for example "Agree" plus "Strongly agree". It is usually easier to interpret than a mean, so reports show both.
What is a reverse-scored item?
An item worded so that agreement indicates a worse climate, such as "I often think about leaving this organization." Scoring flips these before they roll up, so a high factor score always means a healthier climate. They also help detect respondents who are not reading the items.
What if the response rate is low?
Reports state the response rate on the first page. Below 30 percent, results are labeled indicative rather than representative and should be used to generate questions rather than conclusions.
Privacy statement
The principles that govern how climate results are handled:
The survey itself runs on an external portal
Survey responses are collected on the DEOCS survey portal, which defense-survey.com does not operate. Its own privacy and consent notices govern what it collects while you are taking the survey. The statement below describes how climate results are handled and reported.
If you need help now
A climate survey measures an organization; it cannot respond to an individual situation. The resources below can. Several allow you to talk through options confidentially before deciding whether to make a formal report.
If you or someone you know is in immediate danger
Call 911. For a mental health or suicidal crisis, call or text 988 — service members, veterans, and their families can press 1 to reach the Veterans Crisis Line, available 24 hours a day.
| If you want to… | Consider |
|---|---|
| Talk to someone confidentially, without starting a formal process | A chaplain, or a counselor through your organization's employee assistance program. Military OneSource offers free confidential counseling at 800-342-9647, 24/7. |
| Get support after sexual assault or harassment | The DoD Safe Helpline, 877-995-5247, is anonymous and available 24/7. Your organization's sexual assault response coordinator or victim advocate can explain reporting options. |
| Report discrimination or harassment | Your equal opportunity or equal employment opportunity office. They can explain informal and formal options before you commit to either. |
| Raise a concern outside your chain of command | The inspector general for your organization, or your labor union representative if you are a represented employee. |
| Understand your rights before you act | Legal assistance or your civilian personnel advisory office. |
| Report a safety hazard | Your unit safety officer or the safety office at your installation. |
The organizations above are independent public resources listed for convenience. defense-survey.com does not operate them, does not receive any information from them, and is not notified when you contact them.
Contact
Respondent support
Trouble reaching the survey portal, an email address the portal does not recognize, or a question about confidentiality.
Assessment requests
Registering an organization, scheduling a window, or questions about a report.