charliehall: The problem, as I see it, is not with you. Those polls or stories can’t be accurate. People who go off the derech do so for a variety of reasons and the fact that almost all Dati Leumi kids go to the army, doesn’t make the IDF the cause if any do go off the Derech. They may have had problems before and were headed in that direction, IDF or no IDF.
The percentage of Frum kids going off the derech in the U.S. is very significant, including in Chassidish communities. Can they blame that on the IDF too? I’d bet, that the percentage going off the derech in the U.S. is far greater than in Israel.
The only way a study could be accurate is if you interview everyone going off the derech and if they answer honestly.
I live in a mixed community with most boys going to the IDF. I have yet to see any go off the derech. That doesn’t mean that it doesn’t happen, just that no one should blame any specific reason without very in depth study.
From Baalei Teshuva that I’ve spoken with, many credit the IDF and religious soldiers for helping them find their way.
People with agenda’s can skew any statistics to prove anything. It’s all anecdotal. There has never been a real in depth independent study done that really proves any side of the issue.