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Military Service and Immigrants’ Integration: Evidence From the Vietnam Draft Lotteries

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  • Nan Zhang
  • Melissa M. Lee

Abstract

Seminal theories in political science argue that military service is a critical driver of minority integration. However, a major obstacle bedeviling the study of military service is self-selection: individuals who are better integrated may be more likely to join the military in the first place. We address the selection problem by examining the effects of military conscription during the Vietnam War using an instrumental variables approach. Conscription during 1970--72 was decided on the basis of national draft lotteries that assigned draft numbers based on an individual's date of birth. Using the draft lottery instrument, we find no evidence of a causal effect of military service on a range of integration outcomes from the 2000 decennial census. At least for the Vietnam era, the link between service and long-term integration is largely driven by self-selection, which points to important scope conditions for the integrationist view.

Suggested Citation

  • Nan Zhang & Melissa M. Lee, 2026. "Military Service and Immigrants’ Integration: Evidence From the Vietnam Draft Lotteries," Working Papers 26-35, Center for Economic Studies, U.S. Census Bureau.
    • Handle: RePEc:cen:wpaper:26-35
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Dalton Conley & Jennifer Heerwig, 2012. "The Long-Term Effects of Military Conscription on Mortality: Estimates From the Vietnam-Era Draft Lottery," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 49(3), pages 841-855, August.
    2. Berinsky, Adam J. & Chatfield, Sara, 2015. "An Empirical Justification for the Use of Draft Lottery Numbers as a Random Treatment in Political Science Research," Political Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 23(3), pages 449-454, July.
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