Restricted accessResearch articleFirst published online 2025-10
Military Propensity Among Israel Defense Forces’ Potential Conscripts: A Re-Examination and Differentiation by Personal Preferences of Enlistment Motivation
Israel, a unique case in the Western world, maintains a whole-mandatory military service, thus maintaining a “People’s Army” model. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) enjoys a law-based compulsory recruitment system. Despite many significant changes occurring in recent decades, the motivation of Israeli youth to fulfill their military service has remained quite high and stable throughout the last decades. To understand the issues affecting the perpetuation of this trend over the years, this study suggests a new perspective of analyzing military motivation and its components. Utilizing a large survey sample of potential candidates for mandatory conscription, we analyzed both conscripts’ general willingness to enlist and their propensities toward and preference for specific types of service. The findings of the present study query Moskos’ original thesis of the Institution/Occupation (I/O) model and show the “coexistence” subsisting among Israeli youth between two seemingly conflicting propensities—the “Self-actualization” and “Contributing to nation’s security.”
AjangizR. (2002). The European farewell to conscription? In LarsM.van StephenH. (Eds.), The comparative study of conscription in the armed forces (Vol. 20, pp. 307–333). Elsevier.
2.
ArianA. (1993). Vox populi: Public opinion and national security. In YanivA. (Ed.), National Security and Democracy in Israel (pp. 129–152). Lynne Rienner Publication.
3.
ArianA.HermannT.LebelY.PhilippovM.ZabanH.KnafelmanA. (2010). Auditing Israeli democracy—2010: Democratic values in practice. The Israeli Democracy Institute. (In Hebrew)
4.
BarzilaiC. (1992). Democracy in war. Workers’ Library. (In Hebrew)
5.
Ben-EliezerA. (2006). Military and Civil Society in Israel: Disclosures of anti-militarism and neo-militarism in a post-hegemonic age. In MajedA.-M.UriB.-E. (Eds.), In the name of security (pp. 29–76). Haifa University Press/Pardes Publishing. (In Hebrew)
6.
Ben-EliezerU. (2004). Post-modern armies and the question of peace and war: The Israeli Defense Forces in the “New Times.”International Journal of Middle East Studies, 36(1), 49–70.
7.
BenzimanY. (2014). The transition stage from mandatory enlistment to a volunteer army—A comparative research. Department of Behavioral Sciences, IDF Manpower Division, IDF. (In Hebrew)
8.
BettM. (1995). Independent review of the armed forces’ manpower, career and remuneration structure—managing people in tomorrow’s armed forces. Her Majesty’s Stationery Office.
9.
BoeneB. (2009). Shifting to all-volunteer armed forces in Europe: Why, how, with what effects?Forum Sociológico, 19, 49–60.
10.
BurkJ. (1992). The decline of mass armed forces and compulsory military service. Defense Analysis, 8, 45–49.
11.
BurkJ. (1995). Citizenship status and military service: The quest for inclusion by minorities and conscientious objectors. Armed Forces & Society, 21(4), 503–529.
12.
CohenS. (2007). The false “crisis” in military recruitment: An IDF red herring. The Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies, Bar-Ilan University. (In Hebrew)
13.
CohenS.BagnoO. Y. (2001). The societal consequences of military service in Israel: A reappraisal. Democratic Culture, 4–5, 150–131. https://en.idi.org.il/publications/6591. (In Hebrew)
14.
EighmeyJ. (2006). Why do youth enlist? Identification of underlying themes. Armed Forces & Society, 32, 307–328.
15.
ElderH. G.WangL.SpenceN.AdkinsD.BrownT. (2010). Pathways to the all-volunteer military. Social Science Quarterly, 91(2), 455–475.
16.
ElranM.ShefferG. (2016, September2016). Military service in Israel: Challenges and ramifications (Memorandum No. 159). Institute for National Security Studies. (In Hebrew)
17.
GalR. (1986). A portrait of the Israeli Soldier. Greenwood Press.
18.
GalR. (1988). The Israeli military in light of the I-O thesis. In MoskosC. C.WoodF. R. (Eds.), The military: More than just a job? (pp. 267–275). Pergamon-Brassey’s.
19.
GalR. (1995). The Israeli youth and the military service: A riddle across time. In ElazarD. (Ed.), Seminars in Memorial of Lt. Gen. David Elazar (Vol. 18, pp. 68–75). Tel Aviv, INSS. (In Hebrew)
20.
GalR. (1999a, December1999). The motivation for serving in the IDF: In the mirror of time. Strategic Assessment, 2(3), 11–16. (In Hebrew)
21.
GalR. (1999b, October). “Post-Oslo” youth: Israeli youth norms and motivation regarding military service [Paper presentation]. The IUS Biennial International Conference, Baltimore, MD, United States.
22.
GalR. (2016). Motivation levels for IDF enlistment over the years. In ElranM.ShefferG. (Eds.), Military service in Israel: Challenges and ramifications (Memorandum No. 159, pp. 49–60). Institute for National Security Studies. (In Hebrew)
23.
GalR. (2017, November3–5). Military propensity through time perspective: Sources of motivation for IDF enlistment over the years [Paper presentation]. 2017 Biennial International Conference of the Inter-University Seminar on Armed Forces and Society, Reston, VA, United States.
24.
GalR.CohenS. (2000). Israel: Still waiting in the wings. In MoskosC.WilliamsJ. A.SegalD. R. (Eds.), The postmodern military: Armed forces after the cold war (pp. 224–241). Oxford University Press.
25.
GiloryC. L.PhilipsR. L.BlairJ. D. (1990). The all volunteer army: Fifteen years later. Armed Forces & Society, 16(3), 329–350.
26.
GirshY. (2019). Negotiating the uniform: Youth attitudes towards military service in Israel. Young, 27(3), 304–320.
27.
GriffithJ. (2008). Institutional motives for serving in the US Army National Guard: Implications for recruitment, retention, and readiness. Armed Forces & Society, 34(2), 230–258.
28.
GriffithJ.PerryS. (1993). Wanting to soldier: Enlistment motivations of army reserve recruits before and after operation desert storm. Military Psychology, 5(2), 127–139. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327876mp0502_4
29.
GrigorovG.SpirdonovS. (2018). Research on the motivation for choosing the military career. International Conference KNOWLEDGE-BASED ORGANIZATION, 24(1), 302–307. https://doi.org/10.1515/kbo-2018-0048
30.
HaltinerK. W. (1998). The definite end of the mass army in Western Europe?Armed Forces & Society, 25(1), 7–36.
IDF’s Department of Behavioral Sciences. (2000–2018). Periodical surveys on Israeli conscription candidates for service in the IDF. Department of Behavioral Sciences, IDF. (In Hebrew).
33.
InbarE. (1991). War and peace in Israeli politics. Lynne Rienner Publishers.
34.
IsraeliZ.Rosman-StollmanE. (2015). Men and boys: Representations of Israeli combat soldiers in the media. Israel Studies Review, 30(1), 66–85.
JanowitzM. (1976). Military institutions and citizenship in western societies. Armed Forces & Society, 2(2), 185–204.
37.
KleykampM. A. (2006). College, jobs, or the military? Enlistment during a time of war. Social Science Quarterly, 87(2), 272–290.
38.
KleykampM. A. (2009). A great place to start? The effect of prior military service on hiring. Armed Forces & Society, 35(2), 266–285.
39.
KuhlmannJ. (1995, October20–22). Zivildienst in Germany—A clever deal both for the Government and for Welfare NGO’s [Paper presentation]. Biennial Conference of the Inter-University Seminar on Armed Forces and Society (IUS), Baltimore, MD, United States.
40.
LawrenceG. H.LegreeP. J. (1996). Military enlistment propensity: A review of recent literature (Research Note 96-69). U.S. Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences.
41.
LeanderA. (2004). Drafting community: Understanding the fate of conscription. Armed Forces & Society, 30(4), 571–599.
42.
LevyG.Sasson-LevyO. (2008). Militarized socialization, military service, and class reproduction: The experiences of Israeli soldiers. Sociological Perspectives, 51(2), 349–374.
LevyY. (2009). Is there a motivation crisis in military recruitment in Israel?Israel Affairs, 151(2), 135–158.
45.
LevyY. (2019). The military and the market society: A conceptual framework. In LevyY.GazitN.MosheR.HarnessA. (Eds.), Army and the market society in Israel (pp. 11–52). Open University. (In Hebrew)
LifshitzY. (2003). The economics of producing defense illustrated by the Israeli case. Kluwer Academic Publication.
48.
LimorY. (1997). The “little prince” and “big brother”: The media industry in Israel in an era of changes. In CaspiD. (Ed.), Communication and democracy in Israel (pp. 29–46). Van Leer Institute; Hakibbutz Hameuchd. (In Hebrew)
49.
LissakM. (1971). The Israel Defense Forces as an agent of socialization and education. In Van GilsM. R. (Ed.), The perceived role of the military (pp. 325–339). Rotterdam University Press.
MehayS. L. (1990). Determinants of enlistments in the U.S. Army Reserve. Armed Forces & Society, 16(1990), 351–367.
53.
MichaelK.KellenD.Ben AriE. (2009). Introduction: Wars and peace support operations in the contemporary wars: Conceptual clarifications and suggestions. In MichaelK.KellenD.Ben AriE. (Eds.), The transformation of the world of war and peace support operations (pp. 1–20). Praeger.
54.
MizelsO.GalR.PishofA. (1989). High school students’ perceptions on security and military service. The Israeli Institute for Military Studies. (In Hebrew)
55.
MosheR.Tiargan-OrR. (2019). “People’s Army” in suits: IDF’s challenges in the neoliberal economic era. Ma’archot/IDF’s Publication House. (In Hebrew)
56.
MoskosC. C. (1977). From institution to occupation: Trends in military organization. Armed Forces & Society, 4(1), 41–50.
57.
MoskosC. C. (1986). Institutional/occupational trends in armed forces: An update. Armed Forces & Society, 12(3), 377–382.
58.
MoskosC. C.SegalD. R.WilliamsJ. A. (2000). Armed forces after cold war. In MoskosC. C.SegalD. R.WilliamsJ. A. (Eds.), The post-modern military: Armed forces after the cold war (pp. 1–13). Oxford University Press.
PengelleyR. (2000). French Army in profile: From hollow force to hard core. Jane’s International Defence Review, 33(6), 40–51.
61.
PomerantzL.SherY. (2009). Nobody wants to serve anymore. In Ben EliahuH.LererZ. (Eds.), “People’s Army” sociology—An inside view (pp. 325–394). Tel Aviv, Military-Sociology Association. (In Hebrew)
SafraiM. (2003). Characterization of exemptions ruts from regular service. Department of Behavioral Sciences, IDF Manpower Division, IDF. (In Hebrew)
64.
SegalD. R. (1986). Measuring the institutional/occupational change thesis. Armed Forces & Society, 12(3), 351–376.
65.
SegalD. R.BachmanJ. G.Freedman-DoanP.O’MalleyP. (1999). Propensity to serve in the U.S. Military: Temporal trends and subgroup differences. Armed Forces & Society, 25(3), 407–427.
66.
SegalD. R.BlairJ.LengermannJ. J.ThompsonR. C. (1983). Institutional and occupational values in the U.S. Military. In MargiottaF. D.BrownJ.CollinsM. J. (Eds.), Changing U.S. Military manpower realities (pp. 107–127). Westview.
67.
SegalM. W.SegalD. R.BachmanJ.Freedman-DoanP.O’MalleyP. M. (2001). Gender and the propensity to enlist in the U.S. Military. In SimonR. J. (Ed.), Women in the military (pp. 49–70). Transaction.
68.
SegalM. W.SegalD. R.BachmanJ. G.Freedman-DoanP.O’MalleyP. M. (1998). Gender and the propensity to enlist in the U.S. Military. Gender Issues, 16(3), 65–87.
69.
ShaniU.KuchikJ. (2007). Changes in Israel: Implications on the army’s model and the IDF social missions. The Israel Democracy Institute. (In Hebrew)
70.
SiboniG.FinkelG. P. (2017, December12). Combat military service: The crisis in motivation (INSS Insight No. 997). (In Hebrew)
71.
SpiegelS. (2001). Youth motivation to serve in the IDF. Knesset Education and Culture Committee, Research and Information Center. (In Hebrew)
72.
Theiss-MorseE. (1993). Conceptualizations of good citizenship and political participation. Political Behavior, 15, 355–380. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00992103
73.
Tiargan-OrrR. (2016, September). Different reflections of the motivation to serve in the IDF. In ElranM.ShefferC. (Eds.), Military service in Israel: Challenges and ramifications (Memorandum No. 159, pp. 47–58). Institute for National Security Studies. (In Hebrew)
74.
Tiargan-OrrR.Eran-JonaM. (2015). The Israeli public’s perception of the IDF: Stability and change. Armed Forces & Society, 42(2), 324–343.
75.
Van der MeulenJ. S.ManigartP. (1997). Zero draft in the low countries: The final shift to the all-volunteer force. Armed Forces & Society, 24(2), 315–332.
76.
WaldmanA.Tiargan-OrrR.GalR. (2021). Is it really a personal preference: What constitutes motivation for enlistment to the IDF? In Israeli Journal of Society, Military and National Security (pp. 37–66). Maarachot Publication. (In Hebrew)
77.
WoodruffT.KeltyR.SegalD. (2006). Propensity to serve and motivation to enlist among American combat soldiers. Armed Forces & Society, 32(3), 353–366.
78.
YastrzemskyJ. R. (2016). The propensity to serve in the armed forces: An examination into the factors associated with military propensity during the post-9/11 era [Dissertations]. Sociology Theses and Dissertations, UMD Theses and Dissertations. https://drum.lib.umd.edu/handle/1903/2/discover
Supplementary Material
Please find the following supplemental material available below.
For Open Access articles published under a Creative Commons License, all supplemental material carries the same license as the article it is associated with.
For non-Open Access articles published, all supplemental material carries a non-exclusive license, and permission requests for re-use of supplemental material or any part of supplemental material shall be sent directly to the copyright owner as specified in the copyright notice associated with the article.
