January 27, 2010 | Read Time: 3 minutes
The percentage of American adults who volunteer rose slightly in 2009, as did the overall number of those people who gave their time, according to new figures released last month by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
About 26.8 percent of the U.S. population—or 63.4 million people—volunteered for an organization at least once between September 2008 and September 2009, said the report, up from 26.4 percent and 61.8 million in 2008.
The increase was driven by women, whose overall volunteer rate jumped from 29.4 percent in 2008 to 30.1 percent last year; men’s volunteerism remained virtually unchanged from year to year, at 23.3 percent.
Though individual charities across the country have reported seeing more volunteers who are unemployed, the federal statistics did not bear that out: Employed people volunteered at a higher rate (22.9 percent) than did the unemployed (22.9 percent).
Those not in the labor force at all were least likely to volunteer, with only 22.6 percent reporting that they gave their time during the period surveyed.
The study was conducted by the federal Corporation for National and Community Service, as a supplement to a monthly government study of 60,000 households called the Current Population Survey.
The percentage of American adults who volunteer rose slightly in 2009, as did the overall number of those people who gave their time, according to new figures released last month by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
About 26.8 percent of the U.S. population—or 63.4 million people—volunteered for an organization at least once between September 2008 and September 2009, said the report, up from 26.4 percent and 61.8 million in 2008.
The increase was driven by women, whose overall volunteer rate jumped from 29.4 percent in 2008 to 30.1 percent last year; men’s volunteerism remained virtually unchanged from year to year, at 23.3 percent.
Though individual charities across the country have reported seeing more volunteers who are unemployed, the federal statistics did not bear that out: Employed people volunteered at a higher rate (22.9 percent) than did the unemployed (22.9 percent).
Those not in the labor force at all were least likely to volunteer, with only 22.6 percent reporting that they gave their time during the period surveyed.
The study was conducted by the federal Corporation for National and Community Service, as a supplement to a monthly government study of 60,000 households called the Current Population Survey.
Key Findings
The survey revealed the following about Americans’ volunteerism habits:
- People age 35 to 44 were most likely to volunteer, with 31.5 percent reporting that they had given their time to at least one organization during the survey period. However, people age 65 and older gave the highest median number of hours to charity of all age groups. Older people were also most likely to choose a religious organization as the main outlet for their volunteerism.
- Married people and parents of children under 18 were more likely than the single or childless to volunteer, with 32.3 percent of married individuals and 34.4 percent of mothers and fathers giving their time.
- Fund raising was the most frequently cited activity engaged in by volunteers (11.3 percent), followed by collecting, preparing, distributing, or serving food (11.3 percent). Women were more likely than men to say they had engaged in fund raising.
- Most volunteers – 68.9 percent – gave their time to only one organization. Forty-four percent of volunteers said they got involved with their main charity because they were asked to volunteer, usually by someone at the organization.
The “2009 Volunteering in the United States” report is available for free download online.
