Scotland's People Annual report: Results from 2009/2010 Scottish Household Survey

12 Volunteering

Introduction and Context

The Scottish Government is determined that volunteers should have full scope to contribute to Scottish life and is investigating ways in which it can promote this ethos. Part of this policy aim is to help build individuals' skills and confidence through volunteering. Evidence has suggested that some people, in particular those from disadvantaged groups, are under-represented in volunteering.

The definition of volunteering currently used by the Scottish Government is: 'the giving of time and energy through a third party, which can bring measurable benefits to the volunteer, individual beneficiaries, groups and organisations, communities, environment and society at large. It is a choice undertaken of one's own free will, and is not motivated primarily for financial gain or for a wage or salary"^[72]. This definition broadly encompasses 'formal volunteering' - where unpaid work is undertaken through an organisation, group or club to help other people or to help a cause (such as improving the environment). In contrast, 'informal volunteering' refers to unpaid help given as an individual directly to people who are not relatives. Any reference to volunteering or voluntary work in this chapter refers to unpaid help given to groups, clubs, charities or other organisations^[73].

The Scottish Household Survey ( SHS) contains a range of questions on volunteering. These include the prevalence and frequency of volunteering, the type of organisations and activities for which individuals give up time, the hours spent in the previous month volunteering, and the reasons why people who have volunteered in the past have now given up. This chapter presents the results of these questions.

Providing Unpaid Help to Organisations or Groups

Prevalence of providing unpaid help

As Table 12.1 shows, three-in-ten adults (30%) have provided unpaid help to organisations or groups in the last 12 months. Broadly similar percentages of men and women overall volunteer (27% of men and 31% of women), and this is also true for most age groups (Figure 12.1).

Table 12.1: Whether provided unpaid help to organisations or groups in the last 12 months by gender
Column percentages, 2009/2010 data

Adults	Male	Female	All
Yes	27	31	30
No	73	69	70
Total	100	100	100
Base	5,355	7,065	12,420

This question is only asked of half the sample

The biggest difference between males and females is within the 35 to 44 age group, where a higher proportion of females (38%) volunteered than males (29%). Volunteering is lower among men aged 25 to 34 compared to some of the other age groups; just over one fifth (22%) of men in this age group reported volunteering compared to closer to one third of other age groups under the age of 75. After the age of 74, providing unpaid help declines: 20% of men and 18% of women aged 75 and over have provided unpaid help to organisations or groups in the last 12 months.

Figure 12.1: Percentage providing unpaid help to organisations or groups in the last 12 months by age within gender
2009/2010 data, Adults (minimum base: 439)

There is also variation in volunteering according to individuals' current economic situation (Table 12.2). Those who are self-employed (39%) and those either at school or in higher or further education (42% and 38% respectively) are most likely to provide unpaid help. Adults who are permanently sick or disabled (15%) or are unable to work due to short-term illness (19%) are least likely to provide unpaid help. These results appear to corroborate to some extent existing knowledge about disadvantaged groups volunteering less than others.

Table 12.2: Whether provided unpaid help to organisations or groups in the last 12 months by current economic situation
Column percentages, 2009/2010 data

Adults	Self -employed	Full-time employ-ment	Part-time employ-ment	Looking after home / family	Perma-nently retired from work	Unem-ployed and seeking work	At School	Higher / further education	Perma-nently sick or disabled	Unable to work due to short-term illness	All
Yes	39	29	35	30	28	20	42	38	15	19	30
No	61	71	65	70	72	80	58	62	85	81	70
Total	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100
Base	656	3,986	1,274	689	3,947	571	116	400	629	106	12,420

This question is only asked of half the sample.

Another way of identifying disadvantaged adults is by looking at area level deprivation ^[74]. As Table 12.3 shows, the prevalence of providing unpaid help is much lower for those in the most deprived areas (15%) than in the rest of Scotland (32%). This further confirms the under-representation of disadvantaged groups in volunteering.

Table 12.3: Whether provided unpaid help to organisations or groups in the last 12 months by Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation
Column percentages, 2009/2010 data

Adults	15% most deprived	Rest of Scotland	Scotland
Yes	15	32	30
No	85	68	70
Total	100	100	100
Base	1,783	10,631	12,414

This question is only asked of half the sample.

It can also be seen that the rate of volunteering increases amongst people earning above £15,000 (Table 12.4). Around 22% of all adults from lower income households (earning less than £15,000) volunteered in the last 12 months, compared to nearly twice that (41%) among those with a net household income of more than £40,000. Older people are more likely to have lower household incomes, therefore the pattern evident in Table 12.4 will in part reflect the fact that people aged 75 and over are also the least likely to provide unpaid help.

Table 12.4: Whether provided unpaid help to organisations or groups in the last 12 months by net annual household income
Column percentages, 2009/2010 data

Adults	£0 - £6,000	£6,001 - £10,000	£10,001 - £15,000	£15,001 - £20,000	£20,001 - £25,000	£25,001 - £30,000	£30,001 - £40,000	£40,001+	All
Yes	22	21	22	27	28	34	35	41	30
No	78	79	78	73	72	66	65	59	70
Total	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100
Base	597	1,697	2,379	1,804	1,351	1,079	1,549	1,520	11,976

This question is only asked of half the sample.

Household income in the SHS is that of the highest income householder and their partner only. Includes all adults for whom household income is known or has been imputed. Excludes refusals/don't know responses.

Types of unpaid help provided

This section explores the types of organisations that people help and the types of activities undertaken, as well as the total number of hours provided in the last four weeks. Differences in all of these are examined by area deprivation.

Table 12.5 presents the types of organisations which adults ^[75] who did voluntary work in the last 12 months provided unpaid help to. The most common types of organisations which volunteers helped with were those connected to children, either through schools (23%) or other youth and children's organisations (21%). The next most common type of organisation that adult volunteers helped with were health, disability and social welfare organisations (17%).

Table 12.5: Types of organisations or groups for which adults provided help for in the last 12 months by Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation
Percentages, 2009/2010 data

Adults who did voluntary work in the last 12 months	15% most deprived	Rest of Scotland	Scotland
Children's activities associated with schools	22	23	23
Youth/children	21	21	21
Health, disability and social welfare	22	17	17
Religion	12	16	16
Local community or neighbourhood groups	16	16	16
Sport/exercise (coaching or organising)	13	15	15
Hobbies/recreation/arts/social clubs	8	15	14
The elderly	14	13	13
The environment, animals	6	7	7
Education for adults	3	4	4
Citizens groups	3	3	3
Safety, first aid	5	4	4
Justice and human rights	2	3	3
Politics	3	2	2
Trade union activities	1	1	1
None of these	8	5	5
Base	287	3,374	3,661

Columns may add to more than 100% since multiple responses were allowed.

This question is only asked of half the sample.

There is some apparent variation in the types of organisations people volunteered for by deprivation level, although given the relatively small sample size for the 15% most deprived areas, most of these differences could have occurred by chance. The largest differences were found in the percentage providing help to organisations involved in hobbies/recreation/arts/social clubs (8% in deprived areas, compared to 14% in the rest of Scotland).

Table 12.6 shows the types of organisations that adult volunteers provided unpaid help to in the last 12 months, examined by age. Providing help with children's activities associated with schools and volunteering for organisations connected with youth/children, were most common among adults aged 25 to 44. Adults aged 16 to 24 were most likely to have volunteered with other organisations working with young people or children (33%). Volunteering through sport also showed some differences by age, with 26% of adults aged 16 to 24 volunteering in sports compared to, at most, 16% across the other age groups. In contrast, volunteering for religious organisations and organisations dealing with elderly people tended to increase as adults get older. Close to half (44%) of those adults aged 75 and over who volunteer did so with religious organisations.

Table 12.6: Types of organisations or groups for which adults provided help for in the last 12 months by age
Percentages, 2009/2010 data

Adults who did voluntary work in the last 12 months	16 to 24	25 to 34	35 to 44	45 to 59	60 to 74	75 plus	All
Children's activities associated with schools	22	30	39	21	9	3	23
Youth/children	33	24	30	20	10	4	21
Health, disability and social welfare	15	16	14	19	20	19	17
Religion	8	11	9	15	26	44	16
Local community or neighbourhood groups	11	12	15	20	17	13	16
Sport/exercise (coaching or organising)	26	15	16	14	9	6	15
Hobbies/recreation/arts/social clubs	16	12	11	15	18	11	14
The elderly	11	8	6	16	20	20	13
The environment, animals	5	5	7	10	6	2	7
Education for adults	4	4	4	5	4	3	4
Citizens groups	2	2	2	3	6	5	3
Safety, first aid	7	5	4	4	1	2	4
Justice and human rights	3	4	2	4	3	1	3
Politics	4	1	1	3	2	2	2
Trade union activities	1	1	1	2	1	-	1
None of these	5	6	3	5	5	10	5
Base	288	458	716	951	939	312	3,664

Columns may add to more than 100% since multiple responses were allowed.

This question is only asked of half the sample.

Table 12.7 shows the type of unpaid work or activities that respondents undertook on behalf of the group or organisation they gave most help to in the last 12 months. The most common unpaid activity undertaken was 'generally helping out', with 41% of adults who volunteered doing this type of activity. In terms of more specific roles, over a third (34%) of adults helped to raise money, whilst 29% helped to organise or run events or activities. Just over a quarter (26%) said they did 'whatever is required'.

There are some differences between the types of activities that adults from the 15% most deprived areas of Scotland have undertaken compared to adults in the rest of Scotland (although due to small base sizes for the 15% most deprived areas, these could have occurred by chance). For some types of activities the percentage of those volunteering from more deprived areas is higher than that in the rest of Scotland. This is most evident in those who did 'whatever is required' (30% in the most deprived areas of Scotland and 26% in the rest of Scotland) and in campaigning (8% in the most deprived areas of Scotland and 5% in the rest of Scotland). Although these differences are small they are worth noting, especially as some of these roles may help to develop skills and build confidence in line with volunteering policy aims.

Table 12.7: Types of unpaid activity adults have undertaken in the last 12 months by Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation
Percentages, 2009/2010 data

Adults who did voluntary work in the last 12 months	15% most deprived	Rest of Scotland	Scotland
Generally helping out	40	42	41
Raising money	32	35	34
Helping to organise or run events or activities	22	29	29
Doing whatever is required	30	26	26
Committee work	15	21	20
Providing advice or assistance to others	16	16	16
Education or training or coaching	13	16	16
Office work or administration	9	12	12
Visiting, buddying or befriending people	9	8	8
Providing transport or driving	6	7	7
Managing, organising or co-ordinating other unpaid helpers	6	7	7
Providing direct services ( e.g. meals on wheels, doing odd jobs	7	6	6
Campaigning	8	5	6
Counselling	4	4	4
Representing others	4	4	4
IT Support	2	3	3
Advocacy	1	2	2
None	2	1	2
Base	263	3,223	3,486

Columns may add to more than 100% since multiple responses were allowed.

This question is only asked of half the sample.

Respondents who had undertaken voluntary work in the last 12 months were asked the specific number of hours that they provided unpaid help in the last four weeks. This was aggregated up to provide the categories presented in Table 12.8. Over seven-in-ten (73%) volunteers in Scotland provided unpaid help for 10 hours or less, and the majority of these provided help for between one and 5 hours. The number of hours of unpaid work did not vary greatly between those living in the 15% most deprived areas of Scotland and the rest of the country.

Table 12.8: Total number of hours of unpaid work provided in the last four weeks by Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation
Column percentages, 2009/2010 data

Adults who did voluntary work in the last 12 months	15% most deprived	Rest of Scotland	Scotland
Less than an hour	5	4	4
Between 1 and 5 hours	51	52	52
6 to 10 hours	14	18	17
11 to 15 hours	6	8	8
16 to 20 hours	8	6	7
21 to 35 hours	7	5	5
36 hours or more	8	7	7
Don't know	1	1	1
Total	100	100	100
Base	263	3,223	3,486

This question is only asked of half the sample.

Table 12.9 shows the number of hours of unpaid work provided by adults in the last four weeks, broken down by the types of activities undertaken in the past 12 months. Among those adults who spent up to 5 hours volunteering in the last four weeks, the most common activities undertaken over the previous year included raising money (53%) and generally helping out (48%). Adults who spent 36 hours or more volunteering in the last four weeks were more likely to have been involved in managing, organising or coordinating other unpaid helpers over the past 12 months (24%).

Table 12.9: Types of unpaid activity adults have undertaken in the last 12 months by total number of hours of unpaid work provided in the last four weeks
Row percentages, 2009/2010 data

Adults who did voluntary work in the last 12 months	Up to 5 hours	6 to 10 hours	11 to 15 hours	16 to 20 hours	21 to 35 hours	36 hours or more	Total	Base
Generally helping out	48	16	9	7	6	9	100	1,443
Raising money	53	16	6	6	5	8	100	1,210
Helping to organize or run events or activities	41	20	11	9	7	8	100	977
Doing whatever is required	41	16	11	9	8	11	100	936
Committee work	37	20	11	10	6	12	100	764
Providing advice or assistance to others	38	15	10	10	10	13	100	541
Education or training or coaching	35	22	10	9	9	12	100	484
Office work or administration	30	19	11	12	8	15	100	433
Visiting, buddying or befriending people	33	22	11	8	5	15	100	285
Providing transport or driving	35	17	13	7	10	14	100	247
Managing, organising or co-ordinating other unpaid helpers	23	15	10	13	10	24	100	231
Providing direct services (e.g. meals on wheels, doing odd jobs	40	16	11	9	6	15	100	239
Campaigning	36	18	8	13	5	18	100	185
Counselling	28	22	13	11	7	11	100	138
Representing others	37	16	11	13	7	14	100	142
All	52	17	8	7	5	7	100	3,488

Rows may add to more than 100% since multiple responses were allowed.

This question is only asked of half the sample.

Reasons for Stopping Volunteering

Of those respondents who said they had not given unpaid help to organisations or groups in the last 12 months, three out of ten (29%) said they had nonetheless given unpaid help to an organisation or group previously. This represents a 4% increase since 2009 in the percentage of people saying they have ever volunteered; although the figure has remained fairly constant (ranging between 25% and 29% of respondents since 2007).

Table 12.10 shows that the majority of respondents stopped being involved in voluntary work or activities because of changes to their life circumstances, for example because they no longer had the time (23%), because they moved house (12%) or due to illness (10%). There was little indication that people stopped volunteering due to anything the organisation they had volunteered for had done, or had failed to do: for example, only 1% said they had felt unappreciated and 2% felt things could have been better organised.

Table 12.10: Reasons why adults stopped providing unpaid help
Column percentages, 2009/2010 data

Reasons for stopping unpaid help
I didn't have the time any longer	23
I moved house	12
Through illness	10
Changed job/started work/job got busier	9
I had children	5
I got bored or lost interest	4
I had achieved what I wanted to achieve	4
I wanted a change	3
I had new caring responsibilities	3
Things could have been better organised	2
I didn't feel appreciated	1
My circumstances changed	1
It was costing me money	0
Other reasons	3
Base	1,954

Columns may add to more than 100% since multiple responses were allowed.

This question is only asked of a quarter of the sample.

Correspondingly, when asked what might encourage them to undertake work or activities on a voluntary basis again in the future, the most common response (as outlined in Table 12.11) was 'if it fitted in with my other commitments' (12%). This suggests that people are most likely to opt in or out of volunteering according to how much time they have to give to it, and the fit with other commitments in their life at the time. However, 7% of respondents said they might be encouraged to undertake unpaid work or activities again in the future 'if it fitted with my interests and skills' suggesting there may be potential to tailor more volunteering opportunities to the interests and skills individuals feel they have to offer.

Table 12.11: Reasons why adults may undertake unpaid work in the future
Column percentages, 2009/2010 data

Reasons for undertaking unpaid work in the future
If it fitted in with my other commitments	12
If it fitted in with my interests and skills	7
If I thought I could help others	4
If someone asked me to do something	4
If I could volunteer when I felt like it	4
If I knew more about the opportunities available	3
If it would improve my career/job prospects	3
If it was good fun	3
If someone I knew volunteered with me	2
If it helped me gain qualifications	2
If I was certain that it wouldn't effect my benefits	1
If I was sure I wouldn't be out of pocket	1
If there were more people like me volunteering	1
If I had more confidence	1
If it would improve my skills	1
Others	0
No others	36
Don't Know	23
Base	6,746

Columns may add to more than 100% since multiple responses were allowed.

This question is only asked of a quarter of the sample.