A recent survey of the Hagal Hakhadash Institute / Israel Hayom based on interviews with Jewish high school students in the 11th and 12th grades, revealed that close to 60% of the respondents define their views as rightwing, 23% are at the center and only 13% identify with the left side of the political map in Israel.
The youths were asked questions about every facet of their lives, starting with their views on current events, general knowledge, and their leisure habits.
The survey found Israel’s youth to be very patriotic: 85% said they love their country, and 89% see their future in Israel. 88% plan to enlist in the IDF, more than half believe there is no more moral army than the IDF in the world, and 65% endorse the adage, “It’s good to die for our country,” which is attributed to Yosef Trumpeldor, a Zionist pioneer, leader and warrior who said it—or a statement in that spirit, according to several testimonies, just before dying in defense of Tel Hai in Upper Galilee, on March 1, 1920.
Israel’s youth feel that the best thing about Israel is the familial atmosphere and the people’s tendency to unite during times of trouble. The central problem is Israel’s security situation.
Israeli young people are involved in the world, have solid views, and 78% of them say they are interested in the news. Regarding the most recent security-related saga of the Hebron soldier who shot an Arab terrorist on the ground, 60% of the respondents felt he shouldn’t be court martialed, as opposed to 30% who believe he should be.
Regarding the scandalous behavior of Arab MKs who showed up to honor the families of killed terrorists with Jewish blood on their hands, close to half the Jewish youths — a whopping 48% — believe Israeli Arabs should not benefit from representation in the Knesset, and 52% still believe Israeli Arabs should have the right to vote and be elected.
As to the chance for a peaceful solution of the Israeli-Arab conflict, as many as 82% of respondents said there was no chance at all, or only a very faint chance for such a thing to happen.
The survey holds an unexpected surprise for anyone who comes in regular contact with youth anywhere in the world — 75% of respondents said they appreciate their teachers, even admire them.