This summary presents the key findings from a new national survey of volunteering, carried out by BMRB International on behalf of the Institute for Volunteering Research in 1997. Funded by the Home Office and the Charities Aid Foundation, the survey represents the third in a series of such national surveys stretching back to 1981; the last one having been carried out in 1991. The aim of the survey was twofold: to provide an up-to-date picture of the extent and nature of volunteering in the UK and to track trends in volunteering over the past 16 years.

The Survey found that:

The level of volunteering has dipped slightly over the past six years, down from 51% of the adult population in 1991 to 48% in 1997

Existing volunteers are putting more time into their volunteering, up from 2.7 hours a week in 1991 to 4 hours a week in 1997

More retired people are volunteering now than six years ago, but participation has fallen away among young people

Those in work are the most likely to volunteer, with rates of involvement among unemployed people well down on 1991

Sports, education and social welfare are the most common fields of volunteering; with fundraising, organising events and committee work the most common activities

People volunteer for a mix of altruistic and self-interested reasons, with more emphasis being placed on skills development than in 1991, particularly among young people

There has been some improvement in organisational practice since 1991 with more organisations paying expenses to volunteers. However, seven out of ten volunteers still report dissatisfaction with the way their voluntary work is organised

Methodology

To ensure comparability with the earlier surveys the same definition of volunteering was used, namely: ‘any activity which involves spending time, unpaid, doing something which aims to benefit someone (individuals or groups) other than or in addition to, close relatives, or to benefit the environment’. As before the approach taken was to avoid use of the terms volunteering and voluntary activity in the questionnaire, and instead to try and tease out from the respondents the full range of activities they were involved in which conformed to the above definition, including those which they themselves might not think of as volunteering. As in the earlier surveys a distinction was drawn between formal volunteering undertaken through an organisation, and informal volunteering carried out on a one-to-one basis. Unless otherwise stated the figures in this report refer to formal volunteering only.

To construct the sample a random selection of addresses was drawn from the Postcode Address File and at each address an individual (18 years and over) was randomly chosen to take part in the survey. Over 3,000 addresses were issued and (allowing for deadwood) and a response rate of 51.5%, a final sample of 1486 was achieved. The fieldwork was carried out between June and August 1997.

Key Findings

How Much Volunteering?

The survey suggests that there has been a slight decline in both formal and informal volunteering since 1991, although levels remain higher than in 1981. The proportion of the adult population engaged in formal voluntary work has dipped from 51% in 1991 to 48% in 1997, with a similar fall in informal volunteering from 76% to 74%.

Table 1: Formal and Informal Volunteering, 1981-1997

Despite this decline in overall numbers the survey found that those engaged in volunteering are putting more time into their activity, up from an average of 2.7 hours per week in 1991 to 4.05 hours in 1997. This means that despite the loss of perhaps one million volunteers over the past six years (down from 23 to 22 million), there has been a marked increase in the number of hours volunteered, up from 62 million hours of formal volunteering in 1991 to 88 million hours in 1997.

Who Volunteers?

The survey reinforces what is already well known from previous studies - that certain types of people are more likely to volunteer than others. A strong correlation was found between participation and socio-economic group, with those from the highest groups almost twice as likely to take part in a formal voluntary activity as those from the lowest. The differences were perhaps less marked in relation to informal activity, but the correlation was still strong. Those in paid work were found to be more likely to volunteer than those outside the labour market, with a big fall noted among unemployed people, down from 50% in 1991 to 38% in 1997, reinforcing the long held concern that reform of the benefits system has acted as a deterrent to volunteer. In terms of gender, men and women were equally as likely to volunteer (at 48%), with women having seen a slight drop from 1991. As for age the survey confirmed the now well known finding that volunteering tends to peak in middle age, with a tailing off after the age of retirement. However, it also pointed to two marked trends since 1991: an increase in participation by those in the third age and a sharp decline in involvement by young people, with the rate for the 18-24s down from 55% to 43%. Not only were fewer young people volunteering in 1997 than six years earlier, but the amount of time given was also sharply down, from an average per week of 2.7 hours in 1991 , to an average of just 0.7 hours in 1997.

Table 2: Level of Volunteering by Age, 1981-1997

What do Volunteers Do?

As in 1991 the main areas of volunteering were sports, education, religion and health and social welfare. As for trends, the survey suggests a slight decline in volunteering in the health and social welfare field over the past six years, a slight increase in volunteering with religious organisations, and a larger increase in local community activity. In terms of type of activity the most common (as before) were found to be fundraising, organising events, committee work and transportation, with a big increase in committee activity since 1991. The survey found that the majority of volunteers (84%) were active within the voluntary sector, with 24% involved in the public sector and 13% in the private sector. Of the voluntary sector activity, the overwhelming majority (69%) was carried out in local, independent groups.

Who Does What?

Different types of volunteers were involved in different areas and activities. For example women were three times more likely than men to volunteer in schools, and also more likely to be involved in social welfare groups, while men were twice as likely to be involved in sports groups. Men were more active on committees; women in fundraising. Young people were particularly likely to be active in the field of sport; those aged 35-44 in education; those aged 45-54 in religion and social welfare; with the over 55s well represented in volunteering to do with hobbies, religion and the arts. Young people were particularly active in fundraising, with older people more likely to sit on committees.

The How and Why of Volunteering

The survey found that people’s motives to volunteer were a mix of altruistic and self-interested, including the meeting of one’s own needs and those of family and friends, responding to a need in the community, and learning new skills. There were few changes since 1991, although respondents were less likely to cite free time and more likely to stress the learning of new skills as motivating factors. Older people were more likely to stress free time as a motivating factor, while younger respondents emphasised the learning of new skills. Young people are apparently less altruistic, with only 10% of 18-24 year olds citing a need in the community as a factor behind the decision to volunteer, compared with 26% of respondents overall. In contrast 28% of young people claimed to be motivated by the desire to learn new skills, compared to 15% overall. Being asked remained a key route into volunteering for about half of all respondents. The survey found that 2% of respondents had had contact with a Volunteer Bureaux before volunteering.

Table 3: Reasons for Volunteering, 1991, 1997

The Organisation of Volunteering

Those who had incurred expenses in the course of their voluntary work were more likely to have had them reimbursed in 1997 than in 1991 (up from 26% to 48%). Only a minority (18%) of volunteers had received training, but of those trained, 93% said their training was adequate and 95% of those without training said it wasn’t necessary. Seventy five per cent of respondents said there was someone within their organisation they could go to for advice and support, and 83% expressed satisfaction at the support received, with young people the least satisfied.

The Benefits and Drawbacks of Volunteering

The key personal benefits from volunteering were found to be: the enjoyment of the activity; the satisfaction of seeing results; meeting people; and a sense of personal achievement. Young people were more likely to cite instrumental benefits, the opportunity to learn new skills; to get a qualification; and to achieve a position in the community. As in 1991 the main drawback was identified as poor organisation, with 71% saying their volunteering could be better organised. Other criticisms, voiced by about a quarter of volunteers, were that they sometimes got bored with what they were asked to do; that they couldn’t always cope with the tasks they were given; that their volunteering takes up too much time; that they do not get appreciation from their organisation; and that they find themselves out-of-pocket. Since 1991 volunteers had grown more critical of the time volunteering takes up (not surprising, given the big increase in hours volunteered), but less critical of being out-of-pocket (again not surprising given the increased tendency to pay expenses, noted above). Younger volunteers were by far the most critical - 18-24 year olds scored highest in six out of the ten listed disadvantages - but the sample was small and caution needs to be exercised over drawing firm conclusions.

Table 4: The Drawbacks of Volunteering, 1997

Attitudes Towards Volunteering

Questions were asked about attitudes towards volunteering and its place in society, and about how people view volunteers in relation to paid professionals. On the whole there was a favourable attitude. Nine out of ten respondents agreed with the notion that a society with volunteers is a caring society; with seven out of ten feeling that volunteers offer something that the state cannot provide. However, a minority (sometimes a quite sizeable one) were less positive. For example, four out of ten felt that if the government fulfilled all its responsibilities there would be no need for volunteers; a third felt that receiving a volunteer service makes you feel dependent; with one in eight feeling that volunteers are less efficient than paid staff. On the role of government eight out of ten supported a government campaign to encourage unemployed people to volunteer in return for their benefit; seven out of ten supported a campaign to encourage young people to volunteer; with a similar figure in favour of government funding of a period of national community service for young people. Interestingly young people were the least likely to support a campaign to encourage them to volunteer, although a large majority of two thirds were in favour.

Asked what characteristics could be more applied to volunteers and what were more appropriate to describe paid staff, respondents came up with the following pen-portraits: volunteers are like friends to those they help; they believe in what they are doing; they are committed to their work. Paid staff, in contrast, are well qualified; professional and competent. Again young people took a more negative view of volunteers, being more inclined to see them as less qualified; less professional and less competent.

Reasons for Stopping or Not Getting Involved

Those who had given up their volunteering were asked why this was. A third said it was no longer relevant and 19% that they had moved away from the area. Other reasons included: that it was getting too much for them and that they couldn’t spare the time. All those not currently volunteering were asked if they would like to get involved. Thirty seven per cent said yes, 20% said no due to lack of time, and 12% said no for other reasons. Those not involved were asked why not. The key reasons given were: no time; don’t know any other volunteers; and don’t have the necessary skills and experience. Those who had expressed an interest in volunteering were asked what would make it easier for them to get involved. Key encouragements noted were: being asked; if someone helped me get started; if family or friends were involved too; if I knew it would improve my skills; if I could do it from home; and if it led to a qualification.

Employer-Supported Volunteering

Of those respondents in paid work or who had retired 16% said their employer had supported volunteering. Of these one third had taken part in a voluntary activity through the workplace in the past year. Of those who had retired from jobs where support for volunteering was not offered, 40% said they would have been interested if it had been available. Those who had not taken up the opportunity to participate in an employer’s scheme were asked what would make them more likely to get involved. The key factors were: time off work; knowing that the activity would benefit their career; learning new skills; volunteering as part of a group; and more information about available opportunities.

Conclusions

The survey suggests that volunteering has flattened out since 1991 (and perhaps even dipped slightly), but that 22 million adults still take part in a voluntary activity each year. Existing volunteers are putting considerably more time into their voluntary work, so despite the stagnating or falling numbers, more time is being spent than six years ago - in excess of 85 million hours a week. The older age group has bucked the overall trend and seen a marked increase in numbers of volunteers. In contrast volunteering by young people it is suggested has fallen away badly and participation is now back to its 1981 level. The survey suggests some improvements have taken place in organisational practice: more volunteers are having their expenses reimbursed, and more organisations are giving due recognition to their volunteers. But the survey warns against complacency. Seven out of ten volunteers remain critical of the way their volunteering is organised and complaints continue about being unable to cope with the tasks given and being ‘put-upon’ by the organisation. There is much to be done to improve the lot of volunteers.