Trends in volunteering and trends in the voluntary sector

Abstract

This chapter assesses the degree of consistency and change in levels of voluntary action, using survey data from 1981 through to 2016; and considers both formal and informal volunteering. The key conclusion is that there has been a relatively stable level of engagement, especially in formal volunteering. In contrast, there is more evidence of fluctuation, especially in the post-2008 recessionary period – in the level of engagement in informal volunteering. Despite the optimism expressed by government ministers, there has been no decisive upward shift in engagement in volunteering. The chapter then uses the Mass Observation Project material to probe further into individual understandings of voluntary action. The material demonstrates that respondents do not always recognise the terminologies used in social surveys, often neglect to report an activity that might be characterised as volunteering, and tend to prioritise their commitments to informal care of family members and neighbours (issues which are largely not included in official survey definitions of voluntary action). Finally, the chapter presents data on the trends in the British voluntary sector since 1979, and shows that, while the level of voluntary action undertaken by individuals has remained unchanged, the scale of the voluntary sector has expanded in significant ways.