Research out today from Zurich Municipal reveals that in spite of the economic downturn over one in two people in Great Britain took part in some form of volunteering last year.
The survey*, which was carried out by YouGov for Zurich, found that women and older people are leading the way when it comes to volunteering, followed closely by young people.
Well over half (55%) of respondents took part in at least one volunteering activity in 2011, whether giving time for a local cause, fundraising or conducting neighbourly chores. This rises to around three fifths for women (60%), the over 55s (59%), and young people aged 18-24 (58%). Furthermore, of those who volunteered last year, half of them (47%) took part in two or more types of activity.
Leading psychologist Dr Tom Farsides, Lecturer in Social Psychology at the University of Sussex, found there are four key ‘types’ of modern volunteer based on the survey:
- YOU-GOODERS – the UK’s most common type of volunteer (25%) is You-gooders: people who volunteer for individual benefit such as personal enjoyment (7%), career opportunities (5%), meeting new people (5%) and learning new skills (4%)**. More young people are You-gooders (31%) than any other type of volunteer.
- HEART-ISANS – the second most common type (24%) is Heart-isans: people who prefer to help a cause or group of people close to their heart, and/or raise money for a local worthy cause. Volunteering is almost second nature to Heart-isans and 65% are women.
- LOC-ALTRUISTS – the third most common type (20%) is Loc-altruists: people motivated to volunteer by helping their local community. Loc-altruists take part in activities to keep their local community clean and tidy. There are almost equal numbers of males and females in this category (48% and 52% respectively).
- CLAN-ITARIANS – and the final group (12%) is Clan-itarians: people who tend towards volunteering activities that directly benefit their friends and family; for Clan-itarians volunteering really does begin at home. This group prefers to carry out neighbourly deeds, and very few carry out any other form of volunteering.
According to Zurich, volunteering needn’t be complicated and anyone able to volunteer can do so in many ways, either individually or in a community group. This is why it has established My Community Starter, an online tool offering free guidance and support to people organising small scale community activities.
Paul Emery, Head of Community and Social Organisations at Zurich said:
“It is encouraging to see that, despite time and money both being tight over the last year, so many people volunteer – but there is certainly more we can all do to build on this momentum.
“Local Authorities and Charities and Voluntary organisations in particular can consider these motivators in their own community or volunteering outreach programmes and My Community Starter is a great tool to help them get would-be volunteers in their communities started.”
About MyCommunityStarter
My Community Starter is a free online resource for people who want to get involved in organising smaller, more straightforward community activities. Zurich, working with Tennyson and Beachcroft, looked at the barriers that stood in people’s way to volunteering in their local community and created a website that could give them some guidance, inspire them and, most importantly, provide them with some information they may need to get started. It includes guidance on some legal, health and safety, insurance and planning issues. There’s also a useful tool that creates a free "My Community Starter" Pack adapted to the kind of activities people want to carry out with handy information sheets that may help them make your activity a success.
So whether it’s a weekly shopping collection for an elderly neighbour or picking up litter from the beach, this website could help.
Statistical references
All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2025 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 20th - 22nd December 2011. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+).
* Volunteering activities presented to respondents:
a. Raising money for a local ‘worthy cause’, e.g., by being sponsored to run a marathon.
b. Helping to get or keep a local area clean and tidy.
c. Giving time to help out a local good cause, e.g., soup kitchen, charity shop, hospital.
d. Carrying out neighbourly deeds, e.g., helping with deliveries, looking after pets, watering
plants, fetching shopping.
e. Providing services at a greatly reduced rate, e.g., expert advice, counselling, free haircuts.
f. Supporting school activities, e.g. being a school governor, unpaid instructor or teaching
assistant, in the Parent Teacher Association.
g. Other unpaid activities intended to support local people or communities, e.g., providing free
babysitting, being an unpaid mentor, car-sharing.
** You-gooders are motivated to volunteer for individual benefit such as personal enjoyment (7%), career opportunities (5%), meeting new people (5%), learning new skills (4%) to gain others’ respect (1%), to stop themselves feeling guilty (2%)or to distract themselves from their own troubles or woes (2%).
