The Effect of Volunteering for Community Activity on the Social Resources of Low-SES Residents: Differences Between Volunteer Community Activists and Other Residents

Abstract

Community interventions seek to increase volunteer activists’ social resources in order to further the establishment of social networks and better enable volunteers to promote the development of their community and answer its social needs, while also enhancing their own well-being. The current study investigated whether this goal is indeed achieved. Two hundred residents of low-SES (socioeconomic status) communities who volunteer to take an active part in community interventions (volunteer activists) and 200 other residents of these communities completed questionnaires measuring the levels of five social resources (community belonging, community commitment, knowledge of local services, social competence, community leadership). Variance analyses (MANCOVA) revealed significantly higher levels of almost all resources among the volunteer activists. Furthermore, regression analyses found significant effect of the activists’ years of involvement in community activity and the centrality of the role they perform on their social resources, suggesting that their resources are indeed strengthened by their community work. The implications for researchers and professionals are discussed, and practical recommendations are offered.