voluntary organisations, social enterprises and volunteering
voluntary organisations, social enterprises and volunteering
voluntary organisations, social enterprises and volunteering
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Scottish Household Survey reveals decline in volunteer participation
Created: 29/01/2024
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News/Events Category: VolunteeringThe latest Scottish Household Survey results for 2022 revealed a worrying decline in volunteer participation amongst Scotland’s adults.
The seismic societal events of recent years have taken their toll on volunteers and the organisations that involve them. Given the contribution of volunteers to a range of essential services, this should be a significant concern for policymakers.
The briefing has been produced by Volunteer Scotland in their role as the secretariat of the Cross Party Group on Volunteering. It provides a summary of the 2022 Scottish Household Survey volunteering figures, published in December 2023. It then explores the reasons and implications behind these findings, before sharing some important recommendations.
Key findings include:
- Adult formal volunteer participation has fallen to 22% - this is the first time since 2007 that the number of adult volunteers in Scotland has fallen below one million
- Local community/neighbourhood volunteering is now the most popular type of volunteering - the second most popular is youth and children's activities
- Volunteering in environmental protection has risen from 5% in 2019 to 8% in 2022
- Disabled adults are less likely to volunteer than non-disabled adults, which maintains a long-term disparity in participation between these two groups
- 14% of adults from the most deprived areas volunteer, compared to 27% of adults from the least deprived areas
- The number of volunteers in rural areas (29%) is significantly higher than the rest of Scotland (20%)
In economic terms, the decline in formal volunteering is equivalent to a loss of £400 million to Scotland's economy. Fewer people volunteering means that communities are less able to contribute to local decision making, and struggling statutory services will face increased pressure.
Click here to read the full report.
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