Civic Engagement Through Mandatory Community Service: Implications of Serious Leisure

Abstract

This study explores university students' attitudes of social responsibility and participation in volunteering, examining how these are related to prior experiences of mandatory community service in high school. Students' perceptions of the quality of their mandatory community service experience were found to be powerful predictors of their attitudes towards social responsibility, while ongoing volunteering was found to be influenced more significantly by school and community influences, most notably prior volunteer involvement. We conclude that community service experiences, when perceived as being of high quality, may engender ongoing civic engagement. We suggest that aligning mandated community service with serious leisure might increase quality of experience, and provide an avenue to experience the rewards and benefits associated with civic participation.