Scottish household survey 2019: annual report

11 Volunteering

The 2019 SHS asked respondents about any formal volunteering (giving unpaid help to organisations or groups) that they had undertaken during the previous 12 months.

Volunteering Rates: Levels of formal volunteering have remained relatively stable over the last decade, with just over one quarter (26 per cent) of respondents in 2019 having volunteered for an organisation or group in the previous 12 months.

Types of Volunteering: The most common forms of formal volunteering undertaken were: youth or children's activities outside school (23 per cent); local, community or neighbourhood (22 per cent); children's education and schools (19 per cent); and health, disability and wellbeing (18 per cent).

Age, Gender and Volunteering: Volunteering is slightly more common among women (28 per cent) than men (24 per cent), and people aged 35-44 are most likely of all age groups to volunteer (30 per cent), while those aged over 75 are least likely to volunteer (20 per cent).

When taking gender and age together, women aged 35-44 are the group most likely to volunteer (36 per cent per cent), while women aged over 75 are the least likely to volunteer. Men's volunteering rates remain more stable across the life-course, with 16-24 year old males most likely to volunteer (26 per cent per cent) and those over 75 least likely to volunteer (21 per cent)

Men are more likely than women to volunteer in physical activity, sport and exercise (21 per cent of male volunteers compared with 11 per cent of female volunteers), while women are more likely to volunteer in children's education and schools (23 per cent of female volunteers compared with 14 per cent of male volunteers).

Volunteers aged 35-44 were more likely to volunteer in youth or children's activities outside school (35 per cent) and children's education and schools (28 per cent) than the average for all volunteers (23 per cent and 19 per cent respectively). Those aged 75 and above who had volunteered were much more likely to volunteer in religion and belief (34 per cent) than the average for all volunteers (15 per cent).

Income, Deprivation and Volunteering: People from higher-income households and less deprived areas are more likely to volunteer than those from lower-income households and more deprived areas. 35 per cent of those living in households earning over £40,000 per year had volunteered in the previous 12 months, compared with 18 per cent of people from households earning £6,001-£10,000. Similarly, 33 per cent of adults living in the 20 percent least deprived areas had volunteered, compared with 16 per cent of those living in the 20 percent most deprived areas.

Rural/Urban Location and Volunteering: Volunteering is more common among those living in rural areas. 33 per cent of those living in remote rural areas had volunteered, compared with 24 per cent of those living in large urban areas. Volunteers living in remote rural or accessible rural areas were more likely to volunteer for local community or neighbourhood organisations/groups (40 per cent and 32 per cent respectively) than the average for all of Scotland (22 per cent).