Impact of COVID-19 on volunteer participation in Scotland. (October 2020)
The data from the Ipsos-Mori survey of adults aged 16+ commissioned by Volunteer Scotland in June 2020 have been been analysed further to reveal that:
Although formal volunteering participation during lockdown was low (13% of adults), analysis of SIMD Quintiles shows that there is a ‘J’ curve function, with engagement lowest in Quintile 2 at 6% compared to 13% for Quintile 1. The highest engagement was Quintile 5 at 18%. A similar dip in Quintile 2 participation occurs in the predicted volunteering rates after COVID-19.
For formal volunteering, informal volunteering and mutual aid predicted participation rates post-COVID are highest for those aged 16-24 (58%, 64% and 44% respectively). This contrasts with the highest participation historically coming from the 35-44 age group in Scotland. This mid-life age group has had the highest participation rate in 11 out of the last 12 years (Scottish Household Survey).
Predicted volunteering participation rates post-COVID are highest for those in further or higher education across all three categories of volunteering: formal volunteering (64%), informal volunteering (69%) and mutual aid (45%). There is a potential correlation between this finding and the increased interest in volunteering for those in the 16-24 year-old age group.
