
Research and Evaluation Blog
The Research and Evaluation Blog is where the team provide their own observations and opinions on some of the latest research in volunteering.
Our latest blog posts

Faith in Older People – Volunteer Scotland Analysis
‘The gift of age – Older people, faith communities, and volunteering’ provides invaluable new insights into volunteering in faith communities for older Scottish adults. While we know how many people volunteer with faith-based organisations and something of what they do, there is much we don’t know.

Trust, Recruitment, and Beyond: Insights from the OSCR Scottish Charity Survey
The Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) Scottish Charity Survey measures trust and confidence in the charity sector, including awareness of the Scottish charity regulator. The survey also considers the perception of OCSR among charities in terms of its effectiveness, usefulness, and supportiveness.

Cost of Living Survey – Your feedback matters
We know that the cost of living crisis is having a negative affect on volunteers and volunteering involving organisations. In order to support you and identify areas most impacted we would like your feedback in a short survey.

Youth Volunteering During Times of Crisis
Matthew Linning, Head of Research and Evaluation at Volunteer Scotland, discusses new evidence on the impact of the ‘perma-crisis’ on youth volunteering in Scotland.

Scottish Household Survey – 2021 Results
The SHS results for 2021 were published Tuesday 25 April 2023. Only formal volunteering is reported on odd-numbered years.
The SHS Team has cautioned against comparing their 2021 data with previous years due to changes in the research method, and representativeness of the sample.

Cost of Living Crisis: The Hard Facts
Matthew Linning, Head of Research and Evaluation at Volunteer Scotland, discusses new evidence on the impact of the cost of living crisis on volunteering.

Cost of Living Crisis: Testing our Resilience
Matthew Linning, Head of Research and Evaluation at Volunteer Scotland, discusses the implications of the cost of living crisis on volunteering and volunteers.

‘The Road to Recovery’ – New Research
Volunteer Scotland has published its report on the lessons learned from Scotland’s volunteering response to COVID-19, research funded by the Economic and Social Research Council.

Scottish Household Survey – 2020 Results
The SHS results for 2020 were published Friday 28, January 2022. The SHS Team has cautioned against comparing their 2020 data with previous years due to changes in the research method, sample size and timing.

The impact of COVID-19 in Scotland charities – the challenges and opportunities
It is exactly one year since Scotland entered its first lockdown, how has volunteering changed? Volunteer Scotland has examined the impact of formal volunteering using data from the latest OSCR survey.