Volunteering Among Adults Aged 50+ and their Motivations for Volunteering: The Case of Europe

For older adults, volunteering has the capacity to increase social inclusion and well-being. Even though volunteering trends in this group have been studied, knowledge of their motivations for volunteering is scarce. This article investigates the socio-demographic determinants of older adults’ parti...

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Main Author: Ferhan Saniye Palaz
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Istanbul University Press 2021-12-01
Series:Journal of Economy Culture and Society
Subjects:
Online Access:https://cdn.istanbul.edu.tr/file/JTA6CLJ8T5/5064EE144CAB4D429788E86A084F7157
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author Ferhan Saniye Palaz
author_facet Ferhan Saniye Palaz
author_sort Ferhan Saniye Palaz
collection DOAJ
description For older adults, volunteering has the capacity to increase social inclusion and well-being. Even though volunteering trends in this group have been studied, knowledge of their motivations for volunteering is scarce. This article investigates the socio-demographic determinants of older adults’ participation in volunteering and their motivation for doing so. Usingmicrodata from the Survey of Health, Aging, and Retirement in Europe, we evaluate the relationship between socio-demographic characteristics and volunteering and its motivations using chi-square tests, CochranArmitage trend test, and quadratic regression analysis. We investigated individuals aged 50+ in 11 countries (n = 26931). The results show that 12.5% of the sample does volunteer work, and the frequency of volunteering initially increases by age and then decreases. Volunteering is more common among men, partnered individuals, and those whose perceived health and economic status are good. Differences are visible between countries, which could be partially explained by their welfare regime. The most frequent motivations for volunteering observed by us are as follows: 1) to contribute something useful, 2) to meet other people, 3) enjoyment of the volunteer activity, and 4) feeling needed as a volunteer.
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spelling doaj-art-e8af5e9d023b42e4bd63c0e2371c14d22025-08-20T02:27:16ZengIstanbul University PressJournal of Economy Culture and Society2645-87722021-12-016416318210.26650/JECS2020-803795123456Volunteering Among Adults Aged 50+ and their Motivations for Volunteering: The Case of EuropeFerhan Saniye Palaz0İstanbul Üniversitesi, İstanbul, TürkiyeFor older adults, volunteering has the capacity to increase social inclusion and well-being. Even though volunteering trends in this group have been studied, knowledge of their motivations for volunteering is scarce. This article investigates the socio-demographic determinants of older adults’ participation in volunteering and their motivation for doing so. Usingmicrodata from the Survey of Health, Aging, and Retirement in Europe, we evaluate the relationship between socio-demographic characteristics and volunteering and its motivations using chi-square tests, CochranArmitage trend test, and quadratic regression analysis. We investigated individuals aged 50+ in 11 countries (n = 26931). The results show that 12.5% of the sample does volunteer work, and the frequency of volunteering initially increases by age and then decreases. Volunteering is more common among men, partnered individuals, and those whose perceived health and economic status are good. Differences are visible between countries, which could be partially explained by their welfare regime. The most frequent motivations for volunteering observed by us are as follows: 1) to contribute something useful, 2) to meet other people, 3) enjoyment of the volunteer activity, and 4) feeling needed as a volunteer.https://cdn.istanbul.edu.tr/file/JTA6CLJ8T5/5064EE144CAB4D429788E86A084F7157active agingvolunteerismmotivations for volunteeringolder volunteerssurvey of healthagingand retirement in europe
spellingShingle Ferhan Saniye Palaz
Volunteering Among Adults Aged 50+ and their Motivations for Volunteering: The Case of Europe
Journal of Economy Culture and Society
active aging
volunteerism
motivations for volunteering
older volunteers
survey of health
aging
and retirement in europe
title Volunteering Among Adults Aged 50+ and their Motivations for Volunteering: The Case of Europe
title_full Volunteering Among Adults Aged 50+ and their Motivations for Volunteering: The Case of Europe
title_fullStr Volunteering Among Adults Aged 50+ and their Motivations for Volunteering: The Case of Europe
title_full_unstemmed Volunteering Among Adults Aged 50+ and their Motivations for Volunteering: The Case of Europe
title_short Volunteering Among Adults Aged 50+ and their Motivations for Volunteering: The Case of Europe
title_sort volunteering among adults aged 50 and their motivations for volunteering the case of europe
topic active aging
volunteerism
motivations for volunteering
older volunteers
survey of health
aging
and retirement in europe
url https://cdn.istanbul.edu.tr/file/JTA6CLJ8T5/5064EE144CAB4D429788E86A084F7157
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