Analysis of Volunteering Among Spanish Children and Young People: Approximation to Their Determinants and Parental Influence

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to analyze the factors determining volunteerism among Spanish young people and children, with a particular emphasis on the influence of voluntary and social activities performed by parents. The database used is the 2002–2003 Time User Survey from the Spanish Statistical Office. We estimated the determinants influencing young people and children to become volunteers as a two-part decision: first, whether to volunteer or not, and second, to decide the amount of time they will spend volunteering. The results show that the most influential variables for all age groups are parents volunteering as examples, and parents’ educational level. We consider this a relevant topic for identifying the role of public policies in promoting volunteerism, or organizations’ activities for encouraging youth participation.