Who does what? Unearthing inequality in formal and informal volunteering

• In Event: The Need for Nuance in volunteering

Abstract

Research on volunteering has provided robust evidence on who volunteers in an organization and who does not. Thus, it consistently suggests that two main theories, resource theory and dominant status theory, predict individuals' participation in formal volunteering (Hustinx et al., 2022). Although these results are largely undisputed, current research continues to focus on individual determinants of formal volunteering and creating a "social profile" of the "volunteer" (Musick & Wilson, 2008). According to Hustinx et al. (2022), however, there is an urgent need for research beyond these approaches to develop a more nuanced understanding of volunteering, particularly regarding inequalities in volunteering. While prevailing theories tend to view volunteering as desirable and beneficial for all, social inequalities persist in volunteering itself (e.g., Meyer & Rameder, 2022). This is because volunteering is not all the same, but rather a "heterogeneous phenomenon in terms of activities, relationships and positions" (Hustinx et al., 2022:2). Therefore, it is important to consider the specific (managerial/executive) activities, positions, and areas (e.g., sport, politics) in which volunteers are involved (Meyer & Rameder, 2022).
Our study aims to contribute to the called-for more nuanced understanding of volunteering, especially with regard to the largely unexplored informal volunteering scene. Our guiding research question is: How do individuals' proclivity, scope, type of activity, and area of formal and informal volunteering differ across socioeconomic groups? To explore these variations, we utilize cross-sectional data from the 2022 Volunteering Survey in Austria. Statistik Austria collected the data using a subsample to the mandatory micro-census survey – representative of the Austrian population aged 15 and older in private households. The dataset comprises responses from 13,013 individuals (Göttlinger & Kronsteiner-Mann, 2022). It offers a comprehensive insight into the breadth and depth of individuals’ formal and informal volunteer commitments, inclusive of the number of hours contributed, a detailed catalog of the specific areas they engage in, the positions they occupy, and the nature of the activities. We use bivariate and multivariate analyses to enhance the understanding of the effects socioeconomic characteristics (age, gender, migration background, education, employment status, income, living conditions, etc.) have on formal and informal volunteering behavior. In doing so, our study zooms in on several aspects: on particular social groups dominating specific fields of activity; on fields that are more egalitarian while others are more selective (Meyer & Rameder, 2022), and on discrepancies between migrants and non-migrants beyond their general likelihood to volunteer (formally or informally) toward their choices and time commitments (Greenspan & Walk, 2023).
With this, we aim to move beyond the binary and somewhat simplistic view of volunteering as either present or absent and provide a more nuanced understanding of how individuals of different socioeconomic backgrounds are positioned within the voluntary sector, thereby also challenging the prevailing normative assumptions associated with volunteering (Hustinx et al., 2022).

References

Göttlinger, S., & Kronsteiner-Mann, C. (2022). Freiwilliges Engagement in Österreich. Ergebnisse der Erhebung zur Freiwilligentätigkeit. Bundesministerium für Soziales, Gesundheit, Pflege und Konsumentenschutz (BMSGPK).
Greenspan, I., & Walk, M. (2023). Informal Volunteering and Immigrant Generations: Exploring Overlooked Dimensions in Immigrant Volunteering Research. VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11266-023-00563-1
Hustinx, L., Grubb, A., Rameder, P., & Shachar, I. Y. (2022). Inequality in Volunteering: Building a New Research Front. VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, 33(1), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11266-022-00455-w
Meyer, M., & Rameder, P. (2022). Who Is in Charge? Social Inequality in Different Fields of Volunteering. Voluntas, 33(1), 18–32. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11266-020-00313-7
Musick, M. A., & Wilson, J. (2008). Volunteers: A social profile. Indiana University Press.

Authors

• Berta Terzieva

• Michaela Neumayr, WU Vienna University of Economics and Business