We have been asked this question by many people while in Eretz Yisrael on our current trip. Most of these people are former Americans who have made aliyah themselves within the past 2-20 years.
The response I have been tending to give: yeish v’yeish.
On the one hand, aliyah from North America in 2004 was over 2800 people – the largest number since 1983. When we mention to people in the US that we plan on making aliyah, more often than not we get a response something along the lines of “are you going to use Nefesh B’Nefesh?”. We hear this response from many people who five or ten years ago would have either said “oh, that’s nice” or “wow, how brave of you”. Aliyah is something that many MO Jews in the US are talking about more; the idea that American Jews (or Jewish Americans, take your pick) who are not crazy Zionist extremists would make Aliyah is much more fathomable than it used to be.
On the other hand, everyone who goes is still doing it on their own. From what I have seen, no matter how Zionist a shul is, it is extremely rare to have a community leader stand up and urge people to think about Aliyah. The most Pro-Israel community members see it as their duty to lead solidarity trips, letter writing campaigns and campaigns to buy ambulances. Although these things are all very nice: they add to the security of the Jewish people, support the Israeli economy, etc – they are just not enough. I have yet to hear anyone involved with these events say: “It is our goal that through these activities we will help convince people to make aliyah”. People think that they have fulfilled their obligation to Eretz Yisrael by calling their congressperson, getting on a plane and spending dollars in Ben Yehudah. The people who think to make the ultimate solidarity trip are still going about it on their own, are still much much much more the exception rather than the rule.
However, thanks to organizations like Nefesh B’Nefesh and Kumah some headway is being made. Hopefully the exception will become the rule before it’s too late.