FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, December 18, 2002
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Bureau of Labor Statistics
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Volunteering in the United States - Summary |
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About 59 million people did volunteer work at some point from September 2001 to September 2002, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Depart- ment of Labor reported today. These new data on volunteer service were collected through a supplement to the September 2002 Current Population Survey (CPS). That supplement has generated information from households across the country regarding the extent and type of volunteer service done through or for organizations. The survey found that slightly more than 1 in 4 persons age 16 and over volunteered.
The CPS is a monthly survey of about 60,000 households that obtains information on employment and unemployment among the nation's civilian non- institutional population age 16 and over. For more information about the volunteer supplement, see the Technical Note. Some of the highlights from the 2002 data include:
- The volunteer rate was higher among women than men.
- Employed persons were more likely to volunteer than persons who were unemployed or not in the labor force.
- Among persons 25 years of age and over, the volunteer rate of college graduates was four times that of high school dropouts.
- The main organization for which the majority of volunteers worked was either religious or educational/youth-service related.
- Volunteers spent a median of 52 hours volunteering during the year.
Characteristics of Volunteers
Fifty-nine million persons, or 27.6 percent of the civilian noninstitu- tional population age 16 and over, volunteered through or for organizations at some point during the period from September 2001 to September 2002. The incidence of volunteering was higher among women (31.1 percent) than among men (23.8 percent), a relationship that held across age groups, education levels, and other major characteristics. (See table 1.)
Among the age groups, 35- to 54-year olds were the most likely to volunteer, with 1 in 3 having donated their time. Volunteer rates were lowest among persons age 65 years and over (22.7 percent) and among those in their early twenties (18.2 percent). Teenagers had a relatively high volunteer rate, 26.9 percent, perhaps reflecting an emphasis on volunteer activities in schools.
Among persons 25 years of age and over, 43.6 percent of college graduates volunteered during the year, double the volunteer rate of high school graduates with no college experience and more than four times the rate of high school dropouts.
Parents with children under age 18 were more likely to volunteer than persons with no children of that age, with volunteer rates of 36.5 percent and 23.7 percent, respectively. Volunteer rates were higher among married persons (32.7 percent) than among singles (21.2 percent) and persons of other marital status (22.1 percent).
Overall, nearly 30 percent of all employed persons had volunteered during the year. By comparison, the volunteer rates of persons who were unemployed (25.3 percent) or not in the labor force (23.7 percent) were lower. Among the employed, part-time workers were more likely than full- time workers to have participated in volunteer activities—35.5 percent and 28.5 percent, respectively.
Total Annual Hours Spent Volunteering
Volunteers spent a median of 52 hours doing volunteer activities during the period from September 2001 to September 2002. While 28.2 percent of volunteers reported spending 100 to 499 hours doing volunteer work, 21.5 percent spent only 1 to 14 hours volunteering. (See table 2.)
Among the age groups, volunteers age 65 and over devoted the most time—a median of 96 hours—to volunteer activities. Those age 25 to 34 years spent the least time, volunteering a median of 34 hours during the year.
Number and Type of Organizations
Most volunteers provided their services through or for one or two organizations—69.1 percent and 19.3 percent, respectively. (See table 3.)
The main organization—the organization for which the volunteer worked the most hours during the year—for the majority of volunteers was either religious (33.9 percent) or educational/youth-service related (27.2 percent). Another 12.1 percent of volunteers performed activities mainly for social or community service organizations, and 8.6 percent volunteered the most hours for hospitals or other health organizations. (See table 4.)
Older volunteers were more likely to volunteer mainly for religious organizations, such as churches, than their younger counterparts. For example, 45.2 percent of volunteers age 65 and over performed volunteer activities mainly through or for a religious organization, compared with 28.6 percent of volunteers age 25 to 34 years.
Among volunteers with children under 18 years, 45.9 percent of mothers and 37.9 percent of fathers volunteered mainly for an educational/youth- service related organization, such as a school or little league. Parents were more than twice as likely to volunteer for such organizations as persons with no children of that age. Conversely, volunteers with no children under 18 were about twice as likely as parents to volunteer for
social or community service organization, such as a homeless shelter or
senior citizen center.
Volunteer Activities for Main Organization
Volunteers performed many different types of activities. Among the more commonly reported (volunteers could report more than one activity) were teaching or coaching (24.4 percent); canvassing, campaigning, or fundraising (22.9 percent); collecting, making, serving, or delivering goods (22.2 percent); and being a board, committee, or neighborhood association member (16.3 percent). Forty-three percent of volunteers indicated that their activities fell into the "catch-all" category of organize, supervise, or help with events or activities. (See table 5.)
The distribution of activities differed across major demographic groups. For example, parents of children under 18 were much more likely to teach or coach than were persons with no children of that age, and college graduates were more than twice as likely as those with less than a high school diploma to do consulting or administrative work.
How Volunteers Became Involved with Main Organization
Two in five volunteers became involved with the main organization for which they did volunteer work on their own initiative: That is, they approached the organization. Another 2 in 5 were asked to become a volunteer, most often by somebody in the organization. (See table 6.)
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