My first thought was that over half the population of Georgia lives in Metro Atlanta and it’s not that different from other big cities in the country, but if you look at the numbers, Georgia is 5th in military engagement, so you are right. It’s the other things like Peace Corps volunteers and voting that drag the state’s numbers down. It’s a bogus survey.
Like most states the large cities seem to stand out in people’s minds
Georgia did not have a Republican Governor after reconstruction until the twenty first century. Democrat dominated for many years
My daughter learned about the military service and commitment of Georgians when she attended North Georgia College and State University ( now UNG).