The Royal Navy and Royal Marines Families Continuous Attitude Survey (FAMCAS) 2026 is now live!
A career in the Royal Navy takes real commitment from the whole family. FAMCAS is an annual tri-service survey which gives the spouses and civil partners of RN and RM personnel the opportunity to share their views on Service family life and help ensure policies and initiatives reflect their needs.
Why is FAMCAS important?
FAMCAS is the only consistent and systematic method by which the views of RN/RM families are captured. It provides senior leaders in the RN with the hard evidence they need to change existing policies and initiatives or adopt new ones.
Last year:
- 60% of RN/RM families said that they do not currently receive any communication from the Service.
- 40% of spouses/civil partners said they are dissatisfied with the welfare support provided by the RN/RM to them and their family.
- Only 48% of families said they know where to go for Service-provided welfare support and information when their Serving partner is on an operational tour.
In response, the Royal Navy:
- Launched the Naval Service Families Roadshow – enabling naval families around the UK to connect, learn and be heard.
- Improved RN Forum and launched Community Partnership Working Groups in main RN unit areas – helping RN FPS, charities, and local providers to coordinate their offers to families.
- Improved the Headspace offer – free access for 5 family members without going via their Serving person PLUS extra resources on RN Forum.
- Launched the RN FPS Deployment Assets Team and Deployment Support Working Group – improving the support available to deployed personnel and their families.
FAMCAS results are also reviewed by, and inform the decisions of, Defence policy makers such as the Armed Forces Families and Safeguarding team and the Armed Forces Covenant team. Previous FAMCAS results contributed to the formation and direction of policies and initiatives such as the UK Armed Forces Families Strategy 2022-32, Flexible Service, Families Hub, and Wraparound Childcare.
How is the survey accessed?
If you are a Service person and have received an e-mail invitation to participate in the survey, please forward this invitation to your spouse or civil partner so they can share their views.
If you are the spouse/civil partner of a Service person, please click on the following the link: RN/RM Families Survey 2026. You will be asked to enter an 'Access Code' to access the survey – this is your partner's service number which is case sensitive. This is simply a security precaution – please rest assured that this access code is not linked to your response, and it is impossible to link responses to Service personnel. All responses are completely anonymous.
The survey closes on 15 April 2026.
If you have any queries, or are unable to gain access to the survey, please do not hesitate to contact the Royal Navy Research Psychology Team.
Does your family have to take part?
No, this survey is entirely voluntary. However, all responses provide valuable insight into Service family life and are gratefully received.
Last year, the RN/RM response rate (11%) was lower than the Army (23%) and RAF (17%) response rates. We need to change that to ensure that RN/RM families’ experiences and perspectives are considered when policy decisions are made.
Unsure if your family can complete FAMCAS?
If you are a RN/RM Service person who is married or in a civil partnership, and your JPA record reflected this at the start of November 2025, your family should be able to complete FAMCAS this year.
If you part of a dual serving family, we would love to hear from you. Please use your partner's service number as your access code, not your own.
At the moment, the FAMCAS survey does not include unmarried couples who are part of a Service family. However, hearing the voices of unmarried partners who are in committed relationships is a priority for Defence, and we have conducted a pilot survey that captures their views and are currently analysing the results.
Read the 2025 FAMCAS tri-service report here.
