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VOLUNTARY WORK VOLUNTEERING RATES(a) (a) 2006 data have been made comparable to data from 1995 and 2000. For more information see Voluntary Work, Australia 2006 (cat. no. 4441.0). Source: Voluntary Work, Australia, 2006 (cat. no. 4441.0). WHO ARE THE REGULAR VOLUNTEERS? In 2006, 22% of women were regular volunteers compared with 19% of men. Rates of regular volunteering were highest among people aged 35-44 years and 45-54 years. Women aged 35-44 years were the group most likely to be regular volunteers (32%) followed by men and women aged 45-54 years (24% each). RATES OF REGULAR VOLUNTEERING FOR ADULTS AGED 18 AND OVER, BY AGE AND SEX - 2006 Source: ABS 2006 Voluntary Work Survey. Labour force status People's participation in unpaid voluntary activities is related to their type of engagement in the paid labour force, with different patterns for men and women. Men who were employed were more likely than those who were unemployed to be regular volunteers, with 19% of both full-time and part-time employed men volunteering at least once a fortnight. For women, those employed part-time had the highest rates of regular volunteering (29%), followed by those who were unemployed (25%). Women employed full-time were equally as likely as men who were employed full-time to be regular volunteers. Health status Research has established a strong relationship between volunteering and health. Health issues may limit a person's ability to participate in some voluntary activities and good health leads to continued volunteering. Studies have also suggested that volunteering leads to improved physical and mental health. 4 In 2006, people who described their own health as excellent or very good were more likely to be regular volunteers (23%) than people who described themselves as having fair or poor health (14%). Geographic differences In 2006, the rate of regular participation in voluntary work was higher outside capital cities (23%) than in capital cities (19%). LIFE STAGE The rate of regular volunteering and the type of organisation a person volunteers for varies as people move through different stages in their lives. Among the selected life stages, people with a child aged less than 15 years were the most likely to volunteer regularly (29% of people in couple relationships and 27% of lone parents). While people with young children had higher rates of volunteering than people in other life stages, on average they spent fewer hours per week volunteering than did people with older children or older people living without children. Regular volunteers aged 55 years and over in a couple only relationship contributed the most hours among the selected life stage groups, with an average of nearly six and a half hours per person per week. Lone persons aged 55 years and over contributed an average of five and a half hours per week. In total, regular volunteers contributed 646 million hours to their communities in the 12 months prior to the 2006 survey. People aged 55 years and over in a couple-only relationship contributed over a quarter of those hours (170 million). A further 151 million hours were contributed by people in a couple relationship with a child aged less than 15 years.
TYPE OF VOLUNTARY ORGANISATION People volunteer regularly for a variety of organisations. The type of organisation people choose to volunteer for differs between men and women and according to their life stage. Over half (52%) of men who volunteered regularly did so for a sport and physical recreation organisation. Women who volunteered regularly spread their time between sporting organisations (26% of female volunteers), education and training organisations (26% of female volunteers), religious organisations (22% of female volunteers) and community or welfare organisations (20% of female volunteers). The voluntary work undertaken by parents is likely to be related to their child's education and extracurricular activities. In 2006, the most common organisations for which people with a child aged less than 15 years volunteered, were education and training organisations (34% of people in couple relationships and 43% of lone parents), and sports and physical recreation organisations (46% of people in couple relationships and 36% of lone parents). People aged 55 years and over, whether in a couple only relationship or living alone, were more likely to volunteer for welfare and community organisations (31% and 39%) and religious organisations (25% and 29%). TYPE OF ORGANISATION(a) BY SEX: REGULAR VOLUNTEERS AGED 18 AND OVER - 2006 (a) Does not add to 100% as people may report their voluntary work for up to three organisations. Source: ABS 2006 Voluntary Work Survey. Type of voluntary activities The most common activities performed by regular volunteers were fundraising, preparing and serving food, teaching and coaching or refereeing. Among regular volunteers, over half of women (55%) and just under half of men (49%) regularly participated in fundraising and sales activities. Preparing and serving food was a more common activity among regular female volunteers (48%) than regular male volunteers (29%). Around half (48%) of all regular male volunteers coached, judged or refereed compared with around one-fifth (21%) of regular female volunteers. Men were also more than twice as likely as women to regularly participate in repairing, maintenance and gardening activities (35% and 15% respectively). Of regular volunteers, 6% volunteered for emergency and community safety activities and just under 7% volunteered for activities involving environmental protection. SOCIAL CAPITAL Social capital is a measure of the connectedness and functionality of communities. It grows through the social networks we build and the network transactions we take part in (such as providing support or sharing knowledge). While volunteering itself is considered a strong indicator of social capital, 3 volunteers are also involved in other transactions which build social capital. In 2006, volunteers, regardless of the frequency of their volunteering, were more likely than non-volunteers to donate money, attend a community event or provide unpaid assistance to someone outside their household. SOCIAL NETWORKS AND TRANSACTIONS BY VOLUNTEER STATUS - 2006 Source: ABS 2006 Voluntary Work Survey. In addition to their formal volunteering for an organisation, 66% of people who volunteered at least once a fortnight and 63% of less regular volunteers provided unpaid assistance to someone outside their household, compared with 42% of non-volunteers. While volunteers did not appear to have more diverse friendships (with respect to the age, educational level or ethnic background of their friends) than people who did not volunteer, they did report higher levels of trust in other people. In 2006, 60% each of regular and less regular volunteers felt that most people could be trusted compared with 51% of people who were not volunteers.
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