The majority of Israeli youth are seeking combat roles in the IDF, however draftees generally lack trust in the army leadership, according to a survey conducted by the IDSF in August 2026.
The IDSF is a forum of former senior Israeli security officials, including from the IDF, Mossad, Shin Bet (Israeli Security Agency), and police.
The survey found that 77% of young Israelis feel “highly motivated” to serve in the IDF, with around 57% saying they were highly motivated to draft into a combat unit.
It also found that 75% of teenagers think that the IDF should maintain the current model of mandatory conscription, while 25% said they would prefer a different model.
Teens have low levels of trust in the IDF senior command
The IDSF found that over 60% of participants view the IDF as a “victorious army,” compared to just 13% who disagreed with that statement.
However, despite their faith in the IDF, just 30% expressed high levels of trust in the IDF’s senior command, while 41% said that they had low or very low trust in the army’s senior leadership.
Almost 40% wanted to serve in an infantry unit, making it by far the most popular role for teenagers. The next most popular role was the Armored Corps which trailed behind at 14% popularity. Other popular roles included Border Police, Air Force, and Education and Youth Corps.
It also found that teenagers in 2026 had the greatest desire in 10 years to serve in a combat unit, and the lowest desire to serve in Home Front Command positions. The data trends changed completely in 2024, with desire to serve in a combat unit rapidly increasing, before returning to a steady increase through 2025 and 2026.
The participants also said that the biggest motivator to want to serve in the IDF was the type of education received, and how religious it was. Parent’s army service was the second greatest motivation, with 38% viewing it as the key factor compared to 42% for education.
The IDSF surveyed 377 people between the ages of 16-18.
