Volunteering Among Adults Aged 50+ and their Motivations for Volunteering: The Case of Europe

Abstract

For older adults, volunteering has the capacity to increase social inclusion and well-being. Even though volunteering trends in this group have been studied, knowledge of their motivations for volunteering is scarce. This article investigates the socio-demographic determinants of older adults’ participation in volunteering and their motivation for doing so. Using microdata from the Survey of Health, Aging, and Retirement in Europe, we evaluate the relationship between socio-demographic characteristics and volunteering and its motivations using chi-square tests, Cochran-Armitage trend test, and quadratic regression analysis. We investigated individuals aged 50+ in 11 countries (n = 26931). The results show that 12.5% of the sample does volunteer work, and the frequency of volunteering initially increases by age and then decreases. Volunteering is more common among men, partnered individuals, and those whose perceived health and economic status are good. Differences are visible between countries, which could be partially explained by their welfare regime. The most frequent motivations for volunteering observed by us are as follows: 1) to contribute something useful, 2) to meet other people, 3) enjoyment of the volunteer activity, and 4) feeling needed as a volunteer.

Keywords

• Active aging
• volunteerism
• motivations for volunteering
• older volunteers
• Survey of Health
• Aging
• and Retirement in Europe

50+ Nüfusun Gönüllülüğe Katılımı ve Gönüllülük Motivasyonları: Avrupa Örneği

Abstract

Yaşlı nüfus oranı artmaktadır ve uzayan ömürlerde sağlıklı yılların aktif yaşlanma pratikleriyle desteklenmesi önem kazanmaktadır. Gönüllülük; sosyal hayata dahil olmaya, topluma katkı sağlamaya ve serbest zamanın kişisel ilgilere uygun olarak değerlendirilmesine imkan tanımaktadır. Bu makalenin amacı 50 yaş ve üzeri nüfusun gönüllülüğe katılımını ve gönüllülük motivasyonlarını değerlendirmektir. Bu nüfus grubunun gönüllülük eğilimlerini ele alan araştırmalar olsa da, gönüllülük motivasyonları üzerine yapılmış çalışma sayısı yetersizdir. Araştırmada sosyo-demografik özelliklerle 1) gönüllülük ve 2) gönüllülük motivasyonları arasındaki ilişki incelenmiştir. Araştırma tarama modelinde olup nicel veri analizi yapılmıştır. Veri kaynağı SHARE araştırmasının birinci dalgasıdır. Örneklemde 11 ülke (n=26931) vardır. Değişkenlerin özelliklerine uygun olarak ki-kare testi, Cochran-Armitage trend testi ve kuadratik regresyon analizi uygulanmıştır. Sonuçlara göre örneklemin %12,5’i gönüllülüğe katılmaktadır. Yaşla birlikte gönüllülük önce artmakta, 75+ yaş grubu itibariyle azalmaktadır. Ülkeler arasında kısmen refah rejimiyle açıklanabilecek farklılıklar vardır. Eşi olanlar, erkekler, algılanan sağlık durumu ve ekonomik durumu iyi olanlar gönüllüğe daha çok katılmaktadır. Eğitim düzeyi yükseldikçe gönüllülük artmaktadır. Gönüllülük motivasyonları arasında faydalı bir şeye katkı sağlama amacı, gönüllülükten keyif alınması, kendilerine ihtiyaç duyulması ve insanlarla tanışmak öne çıkmaktadır.

Keywords

• Aktif yaşlanma
• gönüllülük
• gönüllülük motivasyonları
• yetişkin gönüllüler
• Survey of Health
• Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE)

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