The results of a new survey showing the percentage of Americans serving in the military has shrunk to its lowest level in more than 75 years underscores concerns that out-of-touch civilians are less capable of making informed decisions about such critical issues as when this country should go to war.

"What we have is an armed services that's at war and a public that's not very engaged," Paul Taylor, executive vice president of the Pew Research Center, told The New York Times. "Typically when our nation is at war, it's a front-burner issue for the public. But with these post-9/11 wars, which are now past the 10-year mark, the public has been paying less and less attention."

The Pew survey found that less than 1 percent of the U.S. population has been on active military duty at any given time in the last decade, compared with 9 percent of Americans who were in uniform during World War II. A main reason for this decline has been the phasing out of the draft in 1973.

While this newspaper does not advocate the return of military conscription we believe the idea of compulsory enlistment in some form of national service has merit. Many countries around the world require such service for 18-year-olds, lasting one to three years, which benefits not only the government but also helps conscripts learn new skills, appreciate the value of leadership and teamwork, and develop a sense of responsibility for contributing to society.

Contemporary U.S. culture, on the other hand, seems to reflect a growing disconnect and disparity rather than any sense of national unity, as indicated by the emergence of both the tea party and Occupy Wall Street movements. Far from a nation united, we have become a nation divided.

Our government's progressively dysfunctional behavior has contributed to an increasingly distrustful public, which reinforces a cycle of cynicism so distant from the hopeful national spirit that pulled this nation out of the Great Depression and other national crises.

As for the trend toward a lowered percentage of citizens connected to the military, nowhere is this more clearly defined than in the halls of Congress.

Only 22 percent of members of Congress today have served in the armed forces - higher than the national average but still the lowest ratio among elected officials since at least World War II, when four in five members had military experience.

Yet these are the same representatives who can declare war, and whose budget authority determines military pay and benefits.

Speaking of politics, the Pew survey also found, not surprisingly, that those in the public connected through a family member to the military tended to be more conservative.

Some 73 percent of Republicans reported a family connection to the military, compared to 59 percent of Democrats and 56 percent of independents.

Correspondingly, those with family ties to the armed forces were more likely to be critical of President Barack Obama's handling of his job as commander in chief, with 41 percent saying they disapprove, compared to 34 percent for those without a family member who served.

In a perfect world we would not need a military, but since the armed forces are such a critical component of our nation's well-being they should represent a broader cross-section of society.