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Popularity of volunteering and giving revealed in extensive national survey

CABINET OFFICE News Release (CAB/074/07) issued by The Government News Network on 5 September 2007

A charitable society where people are more than likely to volunteer or give money to charity is revealed in an extensive survey published today by the Cabinet Office.

2,705 people in England were interviewed for 'Helping Out: A national survey of volunteering and charitable giving'. More than half (58 per cent) had both volunteered and donated to charity in the last 12 months, and most (81 per cent) had given to a charity within the last four weeks.
The most common reasons for volunteering were 'to improve things or help people' (53 per cent), 'because the cause was important' (41 per cent) or 'because they had spare time' (41 per cent). When it came to giving to charity, the importance of the charity's work topped the list of reasons for those surveyed (52 per cent), closely followed by a belief that it is the right thing to do (41 per cent).

Speaking ahead of an evening speech at the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO), Voluntary Sector Studies Network (VSSN) annual research conference, which looks at trends emerging in the voluntary sector, Minister for the Third Sector, Phil Hope, said: "This research shows that people, contrary to what many may think, are willing to "help out" - and nearly 60 per cent have done so by volunteering formally in the past year.

"At the same time, more money is being given to charity than ever before. This news is encouraging to anyone who believes, as I do, in the power and value of third sector organisations to change lives and communities for the better.

"But there are also challenges ahead. Many still feel unable to volunteer, particularly those on the fringes of society. There's also a clear gap when it comes to opportunities for training and qualifications being offered to volunteers. That's why the Government will continue to focus our efforts on knocking down the barriers that exist to volunteering, while working with the sector and other key stakeholders to ensure there is enhanced, more widespread training available for volunteers."

Justin Davis-Smith, Acting Chief Executive of Volunteering England and an author of the report, said: "It is great that so many people are experiencing the benefits of acquiring skills, meeting new people and feeling more personally fulfilled that volunteering can provide. However, it is vital that we break down any real or perceived barriers to volunteering and commit sufficient resources to volunteering infrastructure to make it as easy as possible for everyone to contribute to their communities."

Other key findings from the report include:

Volunteering
* 59 per cent had volunteered in the last year (39 per cent had done so at least monthly), and 69 per cent in the last five years, with an estimated economic value of £38.9 billion;
* on average, volunteers had given 11 hours over the last four weeks;
* positive feelings were expressed on the experience of volunteering - nearly all (95 per cent) of regular volunteers said their efforts were appreciated and nine in 10 had the chance to do activities they liked;
* cited benefits of volunteering included satisfaction from seeing the results, a sense of personal achievement, and the opportunity to meet people and make new friends;
* those in the 34-44 and 55-64 age brackets, women, the employed and people of religious faith were more likely to volunteer than other social groups;
* there is room for improvement in organisation (31 per cent said their volunteering could be better organised) and in reducing bureaucracy (mentioned by 28 per cent);

Giving
* among the 81 per cent who had given to charity in the last four weeks, the most common way was by putting money in a collecting tin, following by buying raffle tickets;
* the average total amount donated in the last four weeks was £25 per adult;
* the most popular causes donated to were health and disability, followed by overseas aid or disaster relief;
* nearly half said they had upped the amount they donated since 2000, most commonly due to a rise in their level of disposable income;
* almost two-thirds (64 per cent) had heard of Gift Aid, but only a third (34 per cent) had used it to give tax-efficiently in the last year.

Notes to editors:.
1. 'Helping Out' is a new, one-off survey of volunteering and charitable giving which was commissioned by the Office of the Third Sector in the Cabinet Office and conducted by the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) in partnership with the Institute for Volunteering Research (IVR).

2. 2705 respondents (a sub-sample of the Department for Communities and Local Government's 2005 Citizenship Survey) were interviewed between October 2006 and February 2007 - comprising a core sample of 2156 adults and a separate boost sample of 549 adults from minority ethnic groups.

3. Previous research on volunteering and charitable giving includes the 2005 Citizenship Survey, published by the Department for Communities and Local Government, and the 1997 National Survey of Volunteering. However the findings from this survey are not directly comparable to those from other surveys.

4. The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) http://www.ncvo-vol.org.uk is the umbrella body for the voluntary sector in England, with sister councils in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. NCVO has a growing membership of over 5,000 voluntary organisations, ranging from large national bodies to community groups, volunteer bureaux, and development agencies working at a local level.

5. The Voluntary Sector Studies Network (VSSN) http://www.vssn.org.uk functions to promote the advancement of knowledge about, and understanding of, organisations between the market and the state.

Cabinet Office Press Office 22 Whitehall LONDON SW1A 2WH
http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk