New study links U.S. decline in volunteering to economic conditions
People aren’t volunteering as much these days. What gives?
New study links U.S. decline in volunteering to economic conditions
People aren’t volunteering as much these days. What gives?
9 Comments
I barely have enough free time to feed myself and cover the bills, let alone start helping non immediate friends and family for free.
Seems like this is yet another hidden cost of private equity squeezing society. Our free time is just unrealized profits to them.
Of course it is. When both adult members of the household have to work to survive, where is the extra time available to volunteer.
I used to volunteer regularly, but not so much now. It’s not economic for me, it’s that my employer used to allow volunteer time during the work day for a certain number of hours—now they don’t. Many of the volunteer opportunities I see, at least the regular ones, want volunteers during the day when I’m working. I’ve done a few weekends, but usually my weekends are already full with other things and I never see opportunities in the evenings.
Maybe when I retire I’ll find the time to give back to the community.
Volunteers need someone to volunteer for them!
Along with hanging out with friends, pursuing romantic partnerships, sexual partnerships, hobbies, introspection, being out in nature, what else did I miss?
>The recession of 2008 didn’t help matters. And more than a decade and a half later, volunteering rates have yet to recover.
It feels like there’s been a cultural shift towards more individualism since that time as well. People are less communal overall imo.
Can I convert my volunteer hours to dollars and deducted on my taxes? There’s your answer.
I don’t think anyone is surprised that there is far less volunteering now than the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, 90’s. We know that it is hard to have a single income home at this point. People are pulled in more directions as a result and have far less time.
I do think there was some interesting bits in here though. They are saying the downturn has been since 2008… but I think the single income home thing has been going on a lot longer than that, so I don’t know that it would be the cause.
They also pointed to more rural communities (which I think have become more and more predominately commuting communities in this time frame).
For me personally, I volunteer more now than I did in 2008, but it is because I am in a more stable place, I moved to a rural area to work remote and knew I needed a reason to get me out in the community since I am not a church goer and will not meet people if I don’t make the effort. So, I started volunteering as a firefighter in 2018.
It hasn’t worked out as well as I would like. Most of the people I have met are not people I like. The denigrate the people we are there to help (especially on medical calls) and want to half ass their way through everything. There are some exceptions, but overall, not impressed. As a result… I don’t really feel close to my community at all… feels like a job.
I wonder how much the reduction in church attendance has to do with this as well. Not that I think church goers are somehow more giving (I am not one myself) but they present more in your face opportunities to volunteer and a guilt structure to be doing so (though I think there could be arguments about the nature of the volunteer service… like does being a sunday school teacher count?)
Anyway… interesting stuff.