Who contributes the most to Scottish volunteering?
Volunteer Scotland has updated our ‘Who contributes the most to Scottish Volunteering’ research. This research looks at ‘volunteering intensity’, as measured by the number of hours devoted to formal volunteering in a four-week period, using the 2022 Scottish Household Survey data. We compare findings to the 2018 data.
Examining a new wave of data allows us to determine which demographic subgroups continue to contribute the most over time. The analysis focuses on formal volunteering, which is defined as: any time given to help groups, clubs or organisations in an unpaid capacity.
Average hours per volunteer are compared to the adult volunteering participation rate, across nine demographic groups. In all categories the 2022 analysis shows that different demographic groups have the highest levels of volunteering when we measure volunteering as an annual participation rate or as the mean number of hours volunteered per four-week period. The updated analysis reinforces the findings from 2018 and demonstrates why having both types of analysis is important for understanding the nature of volunteer participation in Scotland.
Findings are based on the average number of volunteering hours per adult volunteer in the last four weeks:
- Men contribute more hours volunteering than women.
- The youngest age group (16-24) volunteer more hours volunteering than any other age group.
- Volunteers living in the 20% most deprived areas of Scotland contribute more volunteer hours compared to any of the other quintile.
- Adults who are unemployed and seeking work volunteer more hours than any other economic status.
- Volunteers with long-term health conditions volunteer more hours compared to those without a long-term health condition.
Related downloads
Technical Note 2022
(PDF)
Volunteering Data and Graphs
(Excel File)
Discussion points from Volunteer Midlothian Seminar
(Word Document)
Watch the Midlothian TSI Seminar discussing the findings
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