AARP Bulletin Survey on Volunteering

Transcription

1 AARP Bulletin Survey on Volunteering Report Written by: Alicia Williams Copyright 2012 AARP Research & Strategic Analysis 601 E Street, NW Washington, DC Reprinting with permission

2 AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, with a membership of more than 37 million, that helps people have independence, choice and control in ways that are beneficial to them and society as a whole. AARP does not endorse candidates for public office or make contributions to either political campaigns or candidates. We produce AARP The Magazine, the definitive voice for Americans and the world's largest-circulation magazine; AARP Bulletin, the go-to news source for the audience; AARP VIVA, a bilingual lifestyle multimedia platform addressing the interests and needs of Hispanic Americans; and national television and radio programming including My Generation and Inside E Street. The AARP Foundation is an affiliated charity that provides security, protection, and empowerment to older persons in need with support from thousands of volunteers, donors, and sponsors. AARP has staffed offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Acknowledgments AARP collected data for this project through a telephone survey administered by AUS Marketing Research. Barbranda Walls contributed to the questionnaire design and Kathi Brown reviewed the report. For additional information, contact Alicia Williams at arwilliams@aarp.org. i

3 The AARP Bulletin commissioned a nationwide survey in October 2012 to examine the extent to which adults are volunteering their time to help others whether through organizations or on their own. The survey was conducted for AARP by AUS Marketing Research/SSRS via its telephone omnibus survey service. Interviews were conducted from October 27 through October 28, 2012, among a nationally representative sample of 1,002 adults ages 18 and older. This report presents the survey s findings. Key Findings Among respondents age 18+, two in three (66%) reported volunteering over the past year. Specifically, fewer than 10 percent reported volunteering only through an organization; one in six (17%) reported volunteering solely on their own independent of an organization; and four in ten (43%) reported volunteering both through an organization and on their own. Volunteers age 50 and older were more likely than their younger counterparts to give their time both through an organization and on their own; however, both age groups, who volunteered solely through an organization and solely on their own, had similar rates of volunteering. In all, volunteers spent a median of 10 hours per month helping others. This generally was consistent across the two age groups examined (i.e., those under age 50 and those 50 and older). Age differences were seen with regard to the groups being served by the volunteers efforts. Among volunteers under age 50, half reported focusing their volunteer efforts on children and youth; volunteers age 50 and older focused principally on seniors/elderly (39%). Neighborhood and community members, however, were also a top focus for both age groups (36% and 32%, respectively). The volunteers reported a variety of reasons for giving their time in service to others; chief among them is making a difference on a cause they care about. This was a very important reason for volunteering by just over three in four respondents overall and across the two age groups examined. Other motivations described as very important by a majority of volunteers were feeling a personal responsibility to help others in need (69%), helping their neighborhood/community (67%), because it makes life more satisfying (61%), and because the organization has a track record of doing good work (57%). Still, about a third of respondents reported that they did not volunteer over the past year. The reasons most frequently cited for not volunteering was not being asked to volunteer (41%) and being concerned about the time commitment (40%). Other reasons cited by a third or more respondents was not knowing how to get involved or where to begin (35%) and just not being interested in volunteer work (34%). Having health or physical limitations also was a frequently-cited barrier to volunteering among those age 50 and older (47%); not knowing how to get involved or where to begin was a top-cited barrier among those under age of 50 (42%). AARP Bulletin Survey on Volunteering, December

4 Detailed Findings Rates of Volunteering Overall, two in three respondents (66%) reported volunteering in the past 12 months either through an organization or on their own. Informal volunteering (i.e., volunteering on their own) was more prevalent than organizational volunteering, with six in ten respondents reporting volunteering on their own and nearly half (49%) reporting volunteering through an organization. Respondents age 50 and older (69%) were more likely than their younger counterparts (63%) to volunteer in the past year through an organization and/or on their own. Self Reported Volunteering over the Past Year Percentage of Respondents 66% 60% 63% 57% 49% 46% (n = 1,002) (n = 393) 69% 53% (n = 602) 64% Overall Through an Organization On Their Own A deeper analysis of these findings also shows volunteers were more likely to report giving their time both through an organization and on their own, than either way solely. Respondents age were more likely than those under 50 to volunteer through both means of service; but older respondents held similar rates of volunteering, solely through organizations and solely on their own, as their younger counterparts. Volunteering Rates, by Type of Volunteering Percentage of Respondents 66% 63% 6% 7% 17% 18% 69% 6% 16% 43% 39% 47% (n = 1,002) (n = 393) (n = 602) Only through an organization Only on their own Through an organization & on their own AARP Bulletin Survey on Volunteering, December

5 Hours Spent Volunteering Volunteers reported giving a median of 10 hours of their time per month in service to others, with four in ten volunteers under 50 years old, and a third of volunteers age, reporting less than five hours monthly. Overall, volunteers tended to give more hours of their time than those under age 50 (i.e., a median of 10 versus 8 hours, respectively). Hours Spent Volunteering, by Age Group Percentage of Respondents 100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% 7% 3% 9% 18% 21% 15% 21% 19% 17% 16% 38% 42% 24% 19% 33% Don't Know/Refused 21+ Hours Hours 6 10 Hours 5 Hours or Less (n = 675) (n = 261) (n = 409) Populations Being Served by Volunteer Efforts Among volunteers, a third or more served children and youth (41%) or neighborhood and community members (34%) through their volunteer efforts. Children and youth were also the most-cited recipients of volunteer efforts from respondents under age 50 (50%); seniors were the most-cited recipients from respondents (39%). (n=675) (n=261) (n=409) Children/Youth 41% 50% 30% Neighborhood/Community Members 34% 36% 32% Seniors/Elderly 29% 21% 39% Homeless, Poor, Disadvantaged 23% 25% 21% Chronically Ill/Disabled 16% 13% 18% Minority Groups 12% 12% 11% Animals 11% 10% 12% Other Groups 8% 6% 9% *Note: bolded percentages are the top two for each age group. AARP Bulletin Survey on Volunteering, December

6 Motivations for Volunteering Volunteers give their time in service for a variety of reasons. In this study, volunteers were given a list of seven possible motivations for their volunteering efforts during the past year and asked to indicate the extent to which each were important motivations for them. The most-cited motivation among the volunteers was making a difference on a cause they care about cited as very important by slightly more than three in four volunteers. Feeling a personal responsibility to help others (69%), helping their own neighborhood/community (67%), makes life more satisfying (61%) and the organization has a track record of doing good work (57%) were also very important motivators for a majority of volunteers. Volunteers age 50 and older were more likely than those under 50 to say feeling a personal responsibility to help others, the organization s track record of doing good work and their religious beliefs were very important motivators for them. On average, out of the seven motivators assessed in this study, four were cited by volunteers as being very important. Volunteers age 50 and older also cited slightly more motivators, on average (5), than their younger counterparts (4). To make a difference on a cause I care about (n = 675) 76% 20% (n = 261) 76% 21% (n = 409) 77% 20% I feel a personal responsibility to help others 69% 26% 62% 32% 78% 19% It helps my neighborhood/ community 67% 27% 67% 27% 68% 26% It makes my life more satisfying 61% 30% 57% 32% 65% 28% The organization has a track record of doing good work 57% 29% 52% 30% 63% 29% It provides an opportunity to use my knowledge, skills & experiences 50% 38% 49% 40% 52% 35% Because of my religious beliefs 43% 22% 39% 23% 48% 21% Very Important Somewhat Important AARP Bulletin Survey on Volunteering, December

7 Barriers to Volunteering Among the 34 percent of respondents who reported not volunteering in the past year, more than a third said it was because no one asked them to volunteer (41%), they were concerned about the time commitment (40%), they did not know how to get involved or where to begin (35%) or they just were not interested in volunteer work (34%). Respondents age 50 and older were more likely than their younger counterparts to say they did not volunteer because of health or physical problems and not wanting a long-term obligation. In contrast, respondents under age 50 were more likely than their older counterparts to say they were not asked to volunteer and they didn t know how to get involved or where to begin. Among all of the non-volunteers, three reasons for not volunteering in the past year were cited, on average, which was also consistent across the two age groups studied. (n=327) (n=132) (n=193) No one asked me to volunteer 41% 46% 32% Concerned about the time commitment 40% 38% 43% Didn't know how to get involved or where to begin 35% 42% 23% Just not interested in volunteer work 34% 36% 31% Had health or physical limitations 29% 17% 47% Didn't want a long-term obligation 26% 22% 32% There was a lack of good transportation options to get there 25% 27% 23% Uncomfortable about volunteering with people I didn't know 25% 26% 23% Average Number of Barriers Cited *Note: bolded percentages are significantly higher than those of their age group counterpart. Survey Methodology This survey was conducted for AARP via a telephone omnibus survey conducted by AUS Marketing Research/SSRS, an independent research company. Interviews were conducted from October 24-28, 2012, among a nationally representative sample of 1,002 respondents 18 years of age or older. The data have been weighted to reflect the demographic composition of the 18+ population. The overall margin of error for percentages based on these 1,002 responses is ± 3.1 percent at the 95 percent confidence level. This means that, if the survey were conducted 100 times, in 95 of those times, the percentages obtained would range within 3.1 percentage points above or below the percentages stated in this report. AARP Bulletin Survey on Volunteering, December

8 AARP Bulletin Survey on Volunteering Annotated Questionnaire n=1,002 Respondents Age 18+ (393 are age 18-49; 602 are age ) VO-1. In the past 12 months, have you volunteered for a nonprofit organization, school, church, or any other organization or group? * * Age * * Age VO-2. Aside from an organized group, in the last 12 months have you volunteered your time on your own and without pay to help your community or someone in need who is not a family member? * Age * -- Age * (Asked of respondents who have volunteered in the last 12 months; n = 675; Age 18-49; n = 261; Age ; n = 409) VO-3. About how many hours PER MONTH, on the average, have you spent in the last 12 months volunteering for organizations and/or on your own? Just an estimate is fine. 10/28/12 Age 18- Age 49 Less than one hour Don t know Refused AARP Bulletin Survey on Volunteering, December

9 (Asked of respondents who have volunteered in the last 12 months; n = 675; Age 18-49; n=261; Age ; n = 409) VO-4. In your activities, whether done through an organization or on your own, which groups were served by your volunteering efforts? 10/28/12 Age 18- Age 49 Seniors/Elderly Children or Youth Chronically ill or disabled persons Minority Groups Homeless, poor or disadvantaged Neighborhood or community members Animals Other Don t know 1 * 2 Refused (Asked of respondents who have volunteered in the last 12 months; n = 675; Age 18-49; n = 261; Age ; n = 409) VO-5. I m going to read you a list of reasons some people give for volunteering. Please tell me whether each is a very important reason, somewhat important reason or not an important reason for you personally to volunteer. The (first / next) reason is (INSERT ITEM)? a. It provides an opportunity to use your knowledge, skills, and experience * * Age * -- Age * -- b. It will help your own neighborhood or community * * Age Age * * c. It is a way to make a difference on a cause you care about * * Age * -- Age * -- AARP Bulletin Survey on Volunteering, December

10 VO-5. (Continued) I m going to read you a list of reasons some people give for volunteering. Please tell me whether each is a very important reason, somewhat important reason or not an important reason for you personally to volunteer. The (first / next) reason is (INSERT ITEM)? d. Because you feel a personal responsibility to help others * Age Age e. It makes your life more satisfying * Age Age * * f. Because of your religious beliefs * * Age Age g. The organization has a track record of doing good work * Age * Age * -- (Asked of respondents who have not volunteered in the last 12 months; n = 327; Age 18-49; n = 132; Age ; n = 193) VO-6. I m going to read you a list of reasons some people have given for not volunteering. For each reason, please tell me if it has kept you from volunteering in the last 12 months. a. You were concerned about the time commitment Age Age AARP Bulletin Survey on Volunteering, December

11 VO-6. (Continued) I m going to read you a list of reasons some people have given for not volunteering. For each reason, please tell me if it has kept you from volunteering in the last 12 months. b. You didn t want a long-term obligation * 1 Age Age c. You didn t know how to get involved or where to begin Age * 1 Age d. You had health or physical limitations Age Age e. You were uncomfortable about volunteering with people you didn t know * Age Age f. There was a lack of good transportation options to get there * Age Age g. No one asked you to volunteer * Age Age h. You were just not interested in volunteer work * 1 Age Age AARP Bulletin Survey on Volunteering, December