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AARP Bulletin Survey on Volunteering

by Alicia Williams, AARP Research & Strategic Analysis, AARP Research, November 2012

This and Related Reports

The purpose of this brief poll was to examine similarities and differences in volunteering among adults age 18 to 49 and 50+.

Key findings include:

  • Two in three respondents (66%) reported volunteering over the past year. Specifically, fewer than 10 percent reported volunteering only through an organization; one in six (17%) reported volunteering solely on their own—independent of an organization; and four in ten (43%) reported volunteering both through an organization and on their own.
  • Volunteers age 50 and older were more likely than their younger counterparts to give their time both through an organization and on their own.
  • Among volunteers under age 50, half reported focusing their volunteer efforts on children and youth; volunteers age 50 and older focused principally on seniors/elderly (39%). Neighborhood and community members, however, were also a top focus for both age groups (36% and 32%, respectively).
  • The volunteers reported a variety of reasons for giving their time in service to others; chief among them is “making a difference on a cause they care about.” This was a very important reason for volunteering by just over three in four respondents—overall and across the two age groups examined.
  • Still, about a third of respondents reported that they did not volunteer over the past year. The reasons most frequently cited for not volunteering was not being asked to volunteer (41%) and being concerned about the time commitment (40%).
  • Having health or physical limitations also was a frequently-cited barrier to volunteering among those age 50 and older (47%); not knowing how to get involved or where to begin was a top-cited barrier among those under 50 (42%).

Data were gathered by a random-digit dial telephone omnibus survey from October 27-28, 2012, of 1,002 respondents aged 18+. For more information, contact Alicia Williiams at 202-434-6186.