FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, December 17, 2003
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The White House - USA Freedom Corps
Contact: Erik Hotmire
202-456-7381 |
About the New Volunteer Service Indicator |
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On December 17, 2003, for the second consecutive year the Bureau of Labor
Statistics of the United States Department of Labor released data that measured
the number of Americans, aged sixteen and older, who engage in volunteer service
activities.
Those who responded to the survey participated with organizations such as
schools, nonprofits, houses of worship and hospitals.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics has issued a press release and is making
technical notes and data available online at
www.bls.gov/cps/. The
following is background information from the USA Freedom Corps that may be
helpful to those reviewing the newly released materials.
What is the volunteer service indicator?
The volunteer service indicator is an annual national measurement of
volunteer activities developed by the Census Bureau and Bureau of Labor
Statistics and the President’s USA Freedom Corps located at the White House. The
Census Bureau collected the data through a supplement to the September 2003
Current Population Survey conducted for the Bureau of Labor Statistics to
establish the number of Americans engaged in volunteer service. That survey
includes approximately 60,000 households nationally, and is designed to
represent the civilian, non-institutional population of the United States. Basic
labor force questions are regularly supplemented by questions related to a range
of sociological and economic issues.
The September Current Population Survey included supplemental questions to
assess the nature of volunteer service in the United States. Questions were
designed by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and Census Bureau with input from the
Corporation for National and Community Service and the nonprofit organization
Independent Sector, which provided valuable insights based on their experience
in researching volunteer activity. The questions were designed to measure how
many Americans are engaged in volunteer service, the frequency of their
volunteer activity, the kinds of organizations with which they volunteer, the
types of activities they choose, and for those who volunteered in the past - the
reasons why they did not volunteer during the survey period.
What does it tell us?
Findings related to the baseline data are described with detail in the
materials released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Those findings indicate
that 28.8 percent of individuals (about 63.8 million) age 16 and over
volunteered through or for an organization between September 2002 and September
2003. The findings tell us that four million more Americans volunteered from
September 2002 to September 2003 than in the previous year. The findings also
offer information regarding what types of organizations and activities enjoy
support from different segments of the population. Finally these findings
indicate how much time people dedicate to volunteer work, including data showing
that volunteers spent a median of 52 hours on volunteer activities during the
period from September 2002 and September 2003.
Why was it developed?
Since the President issued his call to volunteer service and created the USA
Freedom Corps to foster a culture of citizenship, service and responsibility,
there has been a great deal of interest in measuring the impact of efforts to
engage more Americans in volunteer service. Although sociologists have measured
decreasing levels of civic participation over the past three decades, and
organizations have worked to measure volunteer service trends, there is a
well-recognized need for a reliable national measure of volunteer activity.
Sociologists and researchers who have worked in this field have expressed their
desire to use the new Bureau of Labor Statistics data as a rigorous baseline and
to conduct research that builds upon the data collected this year and to be
collected going forward.
The volunteer service indicator creates a new standard for evaluating on an
annual basis long-term changes in volunteer activity according to a rigorous
objective standard.
How is it different from other estimates of volunteer activity?
This new national measure of volunteer activity stands alone in the field.
Efforts to measure this activity before the annual studies were begun in
September 2002 are not comparable. The sample size used (60,000 households),
nationally representative sample reached, and high response rates achieved (more
than 90 percent) through the Current Population Survey cannot be matched by
other organizations that have worked to measure volunteer service in the past.
The Census Bureau also used questions designed for this purpose and methodology
that may not be consistent with those used by other organizations.
Although the Current Population Survey was used to measure volunteer service
activity in 1965, 1974, and 1989, survey design and technology have changed
significantly since that time, and even those measurements cannot be
appropriately compared with the new volunteer service indicator.
How will the results be used?
Current plans include collection of volunteer service indicator data in
September 2004, and in subsequent years. As indicated above, the volunteer
service indicator will allow evaluation of efforts to engage more Americans in
volunteer service. The USA Freedom Corps and Bureau of Labor Statistics are
releasing this data to nonprofit and community organizations, foundations,
corporations, academics and the general public to help them understand trends in
volunteer service and to use this information to stimulate more Americans to
answer the President's Call to Service.
How can I get more information?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics is making information regarding its
Volunteering in America release available online at
www.bls.gov/cps.
Members of the Bureau of Labor Statistics Division of Labor Force Statistics can
answer specific questions or respond to specific requests for additional
information by phone at (202) 691-6378 or by email at
cpsinfo@bls.gov.
Members of the media may also contact the USA Freedom Corps at (202)
456-7381. The USA Freedom Corps also measures interest in national service
programs and other volunteer programs supported by federal agencies such as the
Citizen Corps programs.
What is the USA Freedom Corps?
President Bush created the USA Freedom Corps office at the White
House in January 2002 to foster a culture of service, citizenship and
responsibility for decades to come. Through the USA Freedom Corps,
President Bush wants to help every American answer the Call to Service
by strengthening and expanding service opportunities to protect our
homeland, to support our communities and extend American compassion
around the world. Interested volunteers can find information on the USA
Freedom Corps or find volunteer opportunities in their communities at
www.usafreedomcorps.gov
or by calling 1-877-USA-CORPS.
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