And work hard towards actualizing the goals that makes them even more optimistic. This is why 50% of all combat officers today are national religious: It's part of the worldview.

I think 99.99% of us would be more optimistic. Time to throw the garbage out & get a fresh start. Am I too optimistic?

Are you sure it isn't more like things can't get too much worse???Except if the government stays the same and continues playing the same messages that they have been.

about the future in Israel, and I'm a female national religious.

Thank G-d. If you are even what you claim to be.

Did you ever have one of those situations where a good friend took a course you later wish you had? You read their textbook, talk with them about it, but of course don't get any academic credit. One of my friends took a psy course which covered opinion polls. An amazing number of examples were given as to how you can cook those things, get out any answer you like. Since that time, I pay little or no attention, to any of these so called polls.

The pollsters are asked for a certain result ahead of time, and the pollsters design the questions and how and when and who are they going to poll. Voila! You get the results your boss asked you for, you get paid, and everybody is happy. They are a little more accurate when they poll ahead of elections because people can compare the results, but when it's about social issues such as personal happiness, you can manipulate the questions and results as much as you want.

A week ago this article spoke about “… poll conducted by Keevoon Research and Strategy found that 74% of Israelis expect the coming year to be a better one for them personally. Only 7% think it will be a worse year and 12% think it will be the same….” Whilst today the Israel government department of statistics is reported to have elicitated a figure of NIS 7,547 as monthly expense for a couple for over 65 needed to maintain them. Governmental statistics quote that this amount of NIS 7, 547 is monthly needed by a couple of over 65 years old and is 38% less than the virtual monthly expenses of a younger couple working it up to INS 2,170. These are the monthly maintaince expenses.! For the 65 years old plus no calculation for their actual income is being made neither have possible extra expenses for health etc being included. - Now for the “younger than 65 years old couples” the smallest acceptable taxation of 20% has to be added to their calculatable expenses and this leads us to an approx NIS 14,600 monthly gross income. The forthcoming “golden new year” seems somewhat unrealistic in view of the above figures, the steadily growing number of elderly people. Here a rather a large number depends on their governmental national insurance and on where needed added monies up to a minimum existence government fixed figure in cases of need. – This circle of couples in need is permanently growing and where small private or other pension funds exist the factual expense amount as stated short falls! The figures given here are based upon couple monthly expenses, without checking possible additional needs and their extend amounts, b u t factually these net figures have to be checked on their basis and calculations! With the present fast changing basic economic world conditions - Israel included – a daily change in food expenses for fruits, vegetables, flour, eggs, energy (electricity, oil) etc cause price rises and inflation danger. Not to speak of our political, military uncertainties for this new year. - Let us hope that the expressed betterment in condition as expressed at 74% has more basis than wishful thinking and ignorance.

..and the moral of all this is that it would seem that although life is tough, there is more to life in Israel than money, and the benefits outweigh the difficulties for the huge majority-and I agree.