The Public Perception of Volunteering
By E. Matthews
Following the pandemic, volunteering has increased substantially. As of July 2021, 62% had volunteered in the past year and 41% had volunteered at least once every month. However, volunteering has been on the decline in years prior to the onset of Covid-19. As of 2014, only 31% had volunteered in the previous year. 65–74-year-olds make up the majority of volunteers and 25–34-year-olds are the least likely to volunteer.
Furthermore, women are more likely to volunteer than men and volunteering is also more common in rural, wealthy areas. Two of the more common reasons cited for not volunteering are ill health and a lack of free time. This suggests that the public perception of volunteering is not up to date with recent trends. There are many volunteering options available that are accessible to those of ill health and those with a lack of free time such as online volunteering opportunities. For example, Be My Eyes is a free app that offers volunteers the ability to give assistance to blind and low vision people with tasks through live video call. Another reason commonly cited is a lack of training. Discovery offers various training sessions over zoom such as Domestic Abuse Awareness Training and Learning Disability Awareness Training.
Finally, a further reason given for not being involved in volunteerism is time commitment. Many people leading busy, modern lives don’t have the regular time available to commit to consistent, scheduled volunteering. Discovery offers various one-off volunteering opportunities. For example, litter picking, and gardening project events are available to attend, commitment free.
In conclusion, though the rates of volunteering have increased since the pandemic, a lack of understanding of the accessibility and ease of volunteering opportunities has led participation to decrease in previous years. Volunteering is both impactful, and more convenient that many non-volunteers realise.