You may find these useful when contacting the media or publicising your Volunteers' Week activities.
Who Volunteers?
In 2007 73% of all adults in England and Wales volunteered (formally or informally).
Almost half the population (48%) did so at least once a month. In 2007, 63% of adults in England volunteered informally, while 45% of adults volunteered formally.
2007 DCLG Citizenship Survey
Definitions:
Informal volunteering – giving unpaid help as an individual to someone who is not a relative.
Formal volunteering – giving unpaid help through groups, clubs or organisations to benefit other people or the environment.
2007 DCLG Citizenship Survey
Other useful statistics:
- Volunteering is popular with young and old. 53% of young people aged 16-19 have volunteered with a club or organisation at least once in the last 12 months, while 78% have given unpaid help on an informal basis.
28% of over 75's have volunteered with a club or organisation at least once in the last 12 months, while 46% have given unpaid help on an informal basis.
2005 DCLG Citizenship Survey
- Women are more likely to volunteer than men. In 2007 31% of women regularly volunteered formally compared to 24% of men.
- Black African (31%), White (29%), Black Caribbean (28%) and Indian (27%) people were all more likely to volunteer formally on a regular basis than those from the Pakistani (14%) or Bangladeshi (12%) groups.
- A similar pattern was observed for informal volunteering with 42 per cent of Black African people informally volunteering regularly, compared with 24 per cent of Bangladeshi and 23 per cent of Pakistani people.
- According to Helping Out: A national survey of volunteering and charitable giving carried out by IVR and NatCen for the Cabinet Office in 2007 found that 36% of employees worked for an organisation with an employer-supported volunteering scheme. Of these employees, 29% had participated in the scheme over the last year.
(Low, N et al, 2007, Helping Out: A national survey of volunteering and charitable giving. London: Cabinet Office: Office of the Third sector.) - Over 42,000 students volunteer through organised volunteering programmes at their university or college. Each student volunteer gives on average 82 hours per year to their community, contributing nearly £1,000 per year to the economy.
Neil Fairhurst (2004), The National Survey 2004: Involving Further Education Students in the Community, commissioned by student volunteering team at Volunteering England
- Sport and recreation accounts for 26% of all volunteering in the UK and provides a workforce equivalent to 180,000 fulltime workers.
2005, London Olympics Bid document
Volunteering and health, happiness and skills
- Volunteering is good for you. 63% of 25-34 year olds and 62% of over 65's say volunteering helps them feel less stressed, while 71% of volunteers who offer their professional skills and experience say volunteering helps combat depression. Nearly half of all volunteers say volunteering has improved their physical health and fitness.
2004, ICM Research findings commissioned for CSV (Community Service Volunteers) and Barclays
- Volunteering helps you lead a healthier life. Twenty-two percent of 18 to 24 year olds say volunteering helps them cut down on alcohol and 30% say volunteering helps them smoke less.
2004, ICM Research findings commissioned for CSV and Barclays
- Levels of volunteering relate to levels of happiness. Research published in 2004 indicated that people living in areas with a high level of civic participation were happier with their lives.
2004, Economic and Social Research Council's Democracy and Participation Research Programme - One survey found that volunteering was the second greatest source of individual joy, behind dancing.
Argylle M (1996), The Social Psychology of Leisure, published by Penguin
- Six out of ten volunteers said volunteering gave them an opportunity to learn new skills.
Davis Smith J (1998), The 1997 National Survey of Volunteering
Volunteering and the economy Also same finding in (Low, N et al, 2007, Helping Out: A national survey of volunteering and charitable giving. London: Cabinet office of the Third sector.)
- Annually volunteering was worth over £48 billion in England and Wales. This is the equivalent contribution to the economy made by people involved in their local community based on the national average wage.
Figures from 2005, Home Office Citizenship Survey used in Manifest for change, report from the Commission on Future of Volunteering, p10) - Volunteers spend an average of 3 working weeks a year giving unpaid help through groups, clubs and organisations. This is the equivalent of around 1 million full-time workers involved in their local communities.
2003, Home Office Citizenship Survey
- 82% of non-volunteers stated ‘not enough spare time’ as a reason for not volunteering in 2007
(Low, N et al, 2007, Helping Out: A national survey of volunteering and charitable giving. London: Cabinet Office: Office of the Third sector.)
