Volunteerism in the US has seen a substantial growth since the beginning of the economic downturn, with the number of American volunteers soaring at its six-year peak, according to a recent study commissioned by the Corporation for National and Community Service.
In 2009 there were 2.6 million more Americans who contributed some kind of volunteer work than in 2008, up from 26.4 percent to 26.8 percent in terms of the entire population, representing the most significant year-on-year growth since 2003, the study concludes.
The overall value of the 8.1 billion man-hours contributed by Americans last year is an estimated $169 billion according to the calculations of the Corporation for National and Community Service. The organization established a website Volunteering in America back in September 2009 to assemble information on various forms of volunteering, providing data for all US states and nearly 200 cities.
According to the study, there is a tight connection between the economic crisis hitting the United States and the increase seen in the number of volunteers. “As the economic crisis affected many individuals personally and sent shockwaves across the country, Americans reached out to help through service,” the report states. A key finding of the study also highlights that through volunteering, people tend to support the vulnerable populations hit hardest by the economy and help create a stronger, more stable future.
According to the study, the significant rise was mainly driven by larger volunteer rates among women, primarily women between the ages 45-54; among individuals who are married, especially married women; and among those who were employed, especially individuals working full time. children under 18 years old in the home and individuals with a high school diploma or college degree are also among the populations with higher-than-average volunteer rates. The increase in volunteering among African American women also had a major impact: volunteer rate for individuals who identified themselves as African American/Black rose from 19.1 percent in 2008 to 20.2 percent in 2009, the increase mostly driven by women in this field as well.
While the number of volunteers, and the number of work-hours contributed have both seen an increase, the organizations and the activities volunteers chose to contribute to remained relatively unchanged. Most volunteers participated in fundraising/selling items to raise money (26.6% of volunteers do this activity), while other popular activities included collecting, preparing, distributing, or serving food (23.5% of volunteers do this activity), engaging in general labor or providing transportation (20.5%), and tutoring or teaching (19.0%).
When comparing volunteer rates to certain community factors, the study finds that the greater the sense of attachment to the community is in certain areas of the US, the higher volunteer rate that area altogether shows. Indicators such as homeownership and the number of multi-unit dwellings help determine residential stability and whether residents have a long-term commitment and attachment to their communities, the report concludes. The volunteer rates between home-owners (30.4%) and renters (18.0%) makes this distinction extremely clear, the study highlights.
The state-by-state breakdown of volunteer rates is led by Utah (44.2%), and the final place sees New York (19.0%), while the ranking of large cities is led by Minneapolis, MN (37.4%) and closed by Miami, FL (14.8%)
The data for the recently published study was assembled in September, 2009, using a representative sample of some 60,000 households (approximately 100,000 adults) in partnership with partnership with the U.S. Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Volunteers are defined as “as adults ages 16 years and older who performed unpaid volunteer activities for or through an organization”. The study also notes that it is unable to cover all types of contributions made by community members.
