This difference probably results from the simple fact that the military population has a lower average age. Many of the young military offenders have been stopped in their tracks. Military offenders are more likely than civilian offenders to be apprehended in the early stages of their crime. The following table compares three categories of offenders with respect to their reported motivations. Motivation as coded in the database is based only on publicly available information.
Actual motivation is difficult to assess, as it is often different from what appears on the surface.
Many offenders had mixed motivations, in which case all significant motivations are recorded in the data base. According to this evidence, financial gain played the major role among volunteers but was important for many recruits as well. Disgruntlement and revenge were far more prevalent among volunteers than recruits. Recruitment by coercion was rare. Although not shown in the table, the full data base shows that ideology as a motivation diminished sharply after the 1940s.