Volunteerism

Volunteerism in United States

United States

Volunteering is a form of civic participation that improves individual, community and societal health. Civic participation expands an individual's social network and increases their social capital, which can lead to more employment opportunities and, in some cases, improve mental health.   

Volunteering specifically is also directly associated with improved health, although the exact reasons are still unclear. Data from multiple studies show an average 22% reduction in mortality among volunteers compared with non-volunteers. Volunteers have a lower risk of high blood pressure and are less likely to have obesity. Those who volunteer also experience mental health benefits, including reduced depression and increased life satisfaction and well-being. Volunteering may have particular benefits for older adults. There is emerging evidence that seniors who volunteer regularly have fewer cognitive complaints and a lower prevalence of mild to moderate dementia than seniors who do not volunteer regularly.

Populations more likely to participate in organized volunteer work include:

• Women compared with men. 
• Parents of children.
• Those with internet access compared with those without it. However, volunteers without internet access devote more time to volunteering.

The United States government has multiple programs to organize opportunities for potential volunteers, including AmeriCorps, Peace Corps, Citizen Corps and poll worker positions. Government opportunities are listed on Volunteer.gov. These programs have been shown to increase adult volunteering, even after exiting the program.

Volunteering can also be encouraged or required by schools, jobs or community organizations. Volunteer requirements in high school increase the odds of adult volunteering. More corporations have begun offering employees paid time off to volunteer, which can mobilize a large number of volunteers. 

Many nonprofit organizations rely on volunteers. Online advertising provides these organizations with a powerful tool to find and encourage people to volunteer.

Healthy People 2030 identifies volunteering as a form of civic participation, one of the social determinants of health.

Abbott, Stephen. “Social Capital and Health: The Role of Participation.” Social Theory & Health 8 (February 1, 2010): 51–65. https://doi.org/10.1057/sth.2009.19.

Burr, Jeffrey A., Sae Hwang Han, and Jane L. Tavares. “Volunteering and Cardiovascular Disease Risk: Does Helping Others Get ‘Under the Skin?’” The Gerontologist 56, no. 5 (October 2016): 937–47. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnv032.

Burr, Jeffrey A., Jane Tavares, and Jan E. Mutchler. “Volunteering and Hypertension Risk in Later Life.” Journal of Aging and Health 23, no. 1 (February 2011): 24–51. https://doi.org/10.1177/0898264310388272.

Corporation for National and Community Service. “2017 State of the Evidence Annual Report.” Washington, D.C.: Corporation for National and Community Service, Office of Research and Policy Development, 2017. https://americorps.gov/sites/default/files/evidenceexchange/FR_2017%20State%20of%20the%20Evidence%20Report_1.pdf.

Griep, Yannick, Linda Magnusson Hanson, Tim Vantilborgh, Laurens Janssens, Samantha K. Jones, and Martin Hyde. “Can Volunteering in Later Life Reduce the Risk of Dementia? A 5-Year Longitudinal Study among Volunteering and Non-Volunteering Retired Seniors.” Edited by Gianluigi Forloni. PLOS ONE 12, no. 3 (March 16, 2017): e0173885. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0173885.

Hart, Daniel, Thomas M. Donnelly, James Youniss, and Robert Atkins. “High School Community Service as a Predictor of Adult Voting and Volunteering.” American Educational Research Journal 44, no. 1 (March 1, 2007): 197–219. https://doi.org/10.3102/0002831206298173.

Jenkinson, Caroline E., Andy P. Dickens, Kerry Jones, Jo Thompson-Coon, Rod S. Taylor, Morwenna Rogers, Clare L. Bambra, Iain Lang, and Suzanne H. Richards. “Is Volunteering a Public Health Intervention? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Health and Survival of Volunteers.” BMC Public Health 13, no. 1 (August 23, 2013): 773. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-13-773.

Kawachi, Ichiro, and Lisa F. Berkman. “Social Ties and Mental Health.” Journal of Urban Health: Bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine, Special Feature: Social Networks, 78, no. 3 (September 1, 2001): 458–67. https://doi.org/10.1093/jurban/78.3.458.

Kim, Saerom, Chang-yup Kim, and Myoungsoon You. “Civic Participation and Self-Rated Health: A Cross-National Multilevel Analysis Using World Value Survey.” Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, January 27, 2015. https://doi.org/10.3961/jpmph.14.031.

Piatak, Jaclyn, Nathan Dietz, and Brice McKeever. “Bridging or Deepening the Digital Divide: Influence of Household Internet Access on Formal and Informal Volunteering:” Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, Special Issue: Exploring the Dimensions of Volunteering, 48, no. 2_suppl (August 23, 2018): 123S-150SS. https://doi.org/10.1177/0899764018794907.