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VOLUNTEERING/
BY AGE
source: www.cev.be/facts&figures.htm
www.civicyouth.org/PopUps/
FactSheets/FS_Volunteering2.pdf
www.ofv.sa.gov.au/pdfs/
YoungPeopleVolunteering.pdf
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While issues regarding the measurement of volunteering are not entirely resolved, most surveys suggest a growing volunteer rate among young people in recent years.... - in North America and the United Kingdom, the volunteering rates of adolescents tail off as they reach young adulthood, rise again to peak in middle age, and decline again after retirement. In the UK, the 1990s marked an increase in volunteering among the retired and a sharp decrease among the 18-24 year olds, a finding that sparked controversy. In the US, the decline among the young has not been marked;
- in 2004, in the United Kingdom, according to Active Communities organisation, 45% of 16-to-24-year-olds were involved in informal volunteering;
- as a proportion of the adult population that volunteers in Belgium (over 16 years), adults aged between 34-54 years old are the most dominant group. However, volunteering is also popular by older people, and is very much on the increase. Detailed data are available only for the French community. Figures released by the Association pour le Volontariat show that the age-group 25-34 is the largest one (24%), followed by 35-44 and 45-54 age-groups (20% each) and by a remarkable 16% of those aged 55-64, and 6% of the 65-70 age-group; (1)
- according to the Centre National du Volontariat, in France between 1994 and 2002 the involvement of the age-group 60/65 has been very strong. From a survey conducted in 2002, 58% of older people (60-69 years old) claimed to be active members of an association. Just fewer than 25% of volunteers are people aged 18-24 years. However 3/4 of all volunteers on international volunteer placements are aged 25-39 years; (2)
- in Germany, the fastest growing group of volunteers are older citizens up to 55 years with an increase of 6% (between 1999 and 2004). Longer life expectancies and shorter working periods raise the importance of the so-called post-work phase. In 2004, 40% of citizens aged 56-65 years and 31% aged 66-75 years assumed voluntary work; (3)
- in Poland, considering the age groups of volunteers, young people aged 18-25 constitute the main group. In 2003, 23.8% of those aged 18-25 reported to volunteer in comparison with 15% of people aged 55 and older, who therefore represent the minor group of volunteers. Since 2001 the percentage of young people volunteering almost tripled what may led to an assumption that volunteering is perceived as pre-professional experience gained while studying and undertaken because it enhances employability of young graduates; (4)
- in the United States, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the US Department of Labor (Sept. 2003-Sept.2004), among the different age groups, persons age 35 to 44 were the most likely to volunteer, closely followed by 45 to 54 year olds and 55 to 64 year olds. The volunteer rates for these age groups were 34.2%, 32.8%, and 30.1%, respectively. Married persons volunteered at a higher rate (33.9%) than never married persons (23.2%) and persons of other marital statuses (22.9%);
- according to the report the Civic and Political Health of the Nation: A Generational Portrait, in the US during the spring of 2002, 15 to 25 year olds reported volunteering at the rate of 40.2% over the previous 12-month period compared with a national volunteering rate of 31.7%. However, while 40.2% of young people report that they volunteered, just over half, 22.2%, volunteered regularly, suggesting that they engage in episodic volunteering more often than their older counterparts;
- one of the strongest arguments to suggest that Canadian youth are participating in civic life about as much as other cohorts comes from the National Survey of Giving and Volunteering and Participating. It shows that in 2000, 29% of young Canadians, aged 15 to 24, volunteered, compared to 30% of those aged 45 to 54. And while there has been a 4% decline in volunteering rates among youth since 1997, this trend is consistent with other demographic groups.
- Australia experienced a considerable growth in volunteer rates between 1995 (24%) and 2000 (32%) involving both sexes and all age groups. The majority of people who volunteer are under the age of forty-four. Particular growth has occurred in the 18-24-age group from 17% in 1995 to 27% in 2000. The 55-64-age group showed growth from 24% in 1995 to 32% in 2000. Findings from the recently released National Youth Affairs Research Scheme (NYARS) report on volunteering and young people, Passions, People and Appreciation Making Volunteering Work for Young People (2004), indicate that the volunteer rates may indeed be higher. Analysis of data in the NYARS report reveals that 52% of respondents participated in community volunteer work.
(1) [ www.cev.be/Documents/Facts&Figures_Belgium.pdf]
(2) [ www.cev.be/Documents/Facts&Figures_France.pdf]
(3) [ www.cev.be/Documents/FactsFigures%20Germany%20final.pdf]
(4) [ www.cev.be/Documents/FactsFigures%20Germany%20final.pdf]
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