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After about 650 days of fighting in the Swords of Iron war, spanning from Gaza to Iran, the IDF is facing one of the most severe manpower crises in its history. In light of the exhaustion, burden, and multi-front combat, the army has emphasized its urgent need for tens of thousands of new combat soldiers. At the same time, the political system continues to grapple with one of the most explosive issues in Israeli society—the Conscription Law[1]. The Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) conducted a special survey examining public attitudes on this matter.

Click here to download the full survey findings

Key Findings

• A law exempting the ultra-Orthodox from IDF service would harm motivation for combat service: A significant majority of the Jewish public (71%) believes that legislation exempting most of the ultra-Orthodox public from IDF service would reduce motivation to serve in combat roles—44% believes motivation would be “greatly” harmed, and 27% thinks it would be “somewhat” harmed. This represents a substantial increase from September 2024, when the question was first asked. At that time, 58% held this view (31% “greatly,” 27% “somewhat”; see Figure 1).

In another question, parents of pre-draft age children (ages 15–18) were asked whether such a law would affect how they encourage (or do not encourage) their children to serve in the IDF (see Figures 2a and 2b).

According to the findings, 42% said the law would influence them, while 40% said it would not. Among those who said it would influence them:

• • 45% would encourage serving in the IDF but not in combat service.
  • 41% would discourage serving entirely.
  • Only 7% would encourage combat service.

• Continued policy on ultra-Orthodox conscription may harm national security: 62% of the public believes that maintaining the current policy regarding IDF service of the ultra-Orthodox could harm national security, compared to 32% who does not (see Figure 3).

• Preference for broad conscription—but divided on the model: The public is split between two main models:

  • 41% supports conscription for all Israeli citizens.
  • 37.5% supports conscription for Jews only, with service determined by the IDF’s needs (military or civilian).
  • A minority supports full exemption for ultra-Orthodox (8%) or mandatory service for Jews only (10.5%) (see Figure 4).

• Public demands change—but is pessimistic about its likelihood: 89% thinks the current situation should change, whether via full conscription of ultra-Orthodox (51.5%), or service based on IDF needs (37.5%). However, only 32% believes a significant change is likely in the coming years, compared to 65% who thinks the chances are low or very low (see Figure 5).

• Most still oppose canceling mandatory service: Despite criticism of the current conscription policy, 61% believes it would be inappropriate to cancel mandatory service for the general public even if a law exempting most Haredim were passed. Only 33% thinks it would be appropriate to cancel it in such a case (see Figure 6).

• The “People’s Army” model is seen as threatened: 57% of the public believes the “People’s Army” model is in danger, compared to 35% who does not share that view (see Figure 7).

• Trust gaps in IDF reports on ultra-Orthodox enlistment: Only 52.5% of the public expresses high or very high confidence in IDF reports on the number of conscription orders issued to the ultra-Orthodox. In contrast, 39.5% expresses low or very low confidence. However, it is worth noting that trust in these reports has increased compared to May 2025 (see Figure 8).

• Broad support for integrating women in combat: 69% of the public believes women should be eligible to serve in all combat units based solely on professional criteria. Only 27% opposes this (see Figure 9).

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[1] The survey was conducted between June 10–13, 2025, led by the Data Analytics Center at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS). Fieldwork was carried out by iPanel through online interviews with 805 men and women, constituting a representative sample of the adult Jewish population in Israel aged 18 and over. The maximum sampling error for the full sample is ±3.5% at a 95% confidence level.