Does the Happiness of Volunteers Change According to Their Income? An Empirical Application across the World

Year 2024, Volume: 8 Issue: 3, 1279 - 1313

Keziban Altun Erdoğdu

Abstract

Enabling a volunteer to undertake a task altruistically within the social structure they live in directly or indirectly improves their happiness. However, the donation of valuable resources such as time, skills, and effort by the volunteer, as well as the resulting happiness, may vary based on income and the way of volunteering. From this point of view, in this study, the happiness of volunteers from different income groups was investigated according to the forms of volunteering. For this purpose, data from the World Values Survey (WVS) covering the first (1981-1984), third (1995-1998), fifth (2005-2009), sixth (2010-2014), and seventh (2017-2022) waves are analyzed globally using the ordered logistic method. The analysis revealed that the happiness of low-income volunteers increased when the number of voluntary organizations they actively participated in increased, while high-income volunteers were happier when they regularly participated in such organizations' activities. In various analyses involving different volunteer organizations, it was found that high-income volunteers achieved more happiness by actively providing voluntary services in associations or foundations aimed at increasing social awareness. On the other hand, low-income volunteers achieved more happiness by actively participating in volunteer work in groups formed for mutual assistance. Additionally, it was found that active volunteering in religious associations, foundations, or groups did not significantly contribute to the happiness of high-income volunteers but increased the happiness of volunteers in the low and middle-income groups. The study, unlike the literature, has shown that when considering the form of voluntarism, even high-income individuals benefit from volunteering behavior.

Keywords

Income, Volunteering, Happiness, Voluntary Organizations

Gönüllülerin Gelirine Göre Mutluluğu Değişir Mi? Dünya Genelinde Ampirik Bir Uygulama

Abstract

Gönüllünün sosyal yapı içinde karşılıksız olarak bir işi yapmayı üstlenmesi, durumunu doğrudan veya dolaylı olarak iyileştirerek mutlu olmasını sağlar. Ancak gönüllünün zaman, beceri, emek gibi değerli kaynaklarını bağışlaması ve süreç sonunda mutlu olması gelirine ve gönüllülüğü gerçekleştirme biçimine göre farklılık gösterebilir. Buradan hareketle çalışmada, farklı gelir grubunda yer alan gönüllülerin mutluluğu gönüllülüğü gerçekleştirme biçimlerine göre araştırılmıştır. Bu amaç için Dünya Değerler Araştırması’nın birinci (1981-1984), üçüncü (1995-1998), beşinci (2005-2009), altıncı (2010-2014) ve yedinci (2017-2022) dalgası sıralı lojistik yöntemi kullanılarak dünya genelinde analiz edilmiştir. Analiz sonucunda, düşük gelirli gönüllülerin aktif olarak üye olduğu gönüllü kuruluş sayısı arttığında mutluluğunun da arttığı; yüksek gelirli gönüllülerin ise bu tür kuruluşların faaliyetlerine düzenli olarak katıldığında mutlu olduğu ortaya çıkmıştır. Çeşitli gönüllü kuruluşları içeren analizlerde, yüksek gelir grubundaki gönüllülerin sosyal farkındalığı artırmaya yönelik kurulan dernek veya vakıflarda aktif olarak gönüllü hizmet sağlayarak yüksek mutluluğa ulaştığı; düşük gelir grubundaki gönüllülerin ise yardımlaşmak amacıyla oluşturulan gruplarda aktif bir şekilde gönüllü çalışmalar yaparak yüksek mutluluğa ulaştığı sonucuna varılmıştır. Ayrıca dini derneklerde, vakıflarda veya gruplarda gerçekleştirilen aktif gönüllülüğün, yüksek gelir grubundaki gönüllülerin mutluluğu için anlamlı olmadığı; düşük gelir ve orta gelir grubundaki gönüllülerin mutluluğunu ise arttırdığı bulgusuna ulaşılmıştır. Çalışma, literatürden farklı olarak, gönüllülüğün gerçekleştirme biçimi dikkate alındığında yüksek gelirli kişilerin de gönüllülük davranışından fayda elde edileceğini ortaya koymuştur.

Keywords

Gelir, Gönüllülük, Mutluluk, Gönüllü Kuruluşlar

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