Authors

• Kansalaisareena
• Taloustutkimus
• Sivis Study Centre
• Church Council

Keywords

labour (resource), voluntary work, volunteering

Abstract

This survey studied voluntary work in Finland. The data were collected by Taloustutkimus and the study was commissioned by Kansalaisareena (Citizen Forum), Sivis Study Centre and the Church Council of Evangelical Lutheran Church.

First, the study charted how many hours the respondents had spent on voluntary work in different sectors (e.g. social welfare and health care, sports, children and youth, culture, immigrants). Further questions investigated the hours spent on voluntary work in general during the past four weeks and the past year, and the type, duration, and frequency of the voluntary activities as well as whether it was organised by an association/voluntary organisation. The survey also examined the types of tasks included in the voluntary work (e.g. administrative and educational tasks, soup kitchen work, group instruction, cleaning, fundraising, providing peer support). The respondents were asked to what degree they agreed or disagreed with statements relating to their need for training and support for volunteering, need for peer support activities in health care, voluntary work in working hours or as part of studies, and advantages gained through volunteering for their working life. The respondents were asked about the use of different types of search engines on the Internet designed for finding voluntary work. Reasons for not participating in voluntary activities were also charted (e.g. health issues, previous bad experiences, insufficient guidance and training).

Finally, the respondents who had participated in voluntary work were asked what they had learned from the voluntary activities. Response options included, for example, communication skills, networking, ICT skills, presentation skills, problem-solving methods, and leadership skills.

Background variables included, among others, gender, age, economic activity and occupational status, marital status, household composition, income (respondent and household), level of education, political party preference, and regional variables such as NUTS3 region, number of inhabitants in R's municipality of residence, and type of the municipality (urban, semi-urban, rural).