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Young People in Scotland Survey 2016 Final
1. Matthew Linning and Gemma Jackson
Volunteer Scotland, Research and Evaluation
W www.volunteerscotland.org.uk @VolScotland
Young People in Scotland Survey 2016
Analysis of volunteering – full results
January 2017
2. Key points to cover
• Methodology
• ‘Good news’ story
• Why has volunteering grown?
• ‘Influences’ on youth volunteering?
• Why does volunteering decline in adulthood?
• Can we make volunteering more inclusive?
• Summary & implications for policy and practice
3. IPSOS Mori Survey (2016):
• Repeat of Young People in Scotland (YPiS) survey 2014
• Representative sample of over 1,500 young people in Scotland
• Aged 11-18 years (but core years are 12-17 years)
• 52 state-sector secondary schools across 24 local authorities
• Self-completion survey: Sept – Oct 2016
• Conducted in mixed ability classes such as personal and social education
(P.S.E)
• Large representative dataset - allows for robust sub-group analysis
Methodology
Further information on the methodology is provided in
the separate ‘Technical Note’
4. Youth cohorts not included in survey:
• Young people in private secondary education (4.4%)
• Exclusions from state schools (c. 3.6%)
• Those in special schools (c. 0.8%)
• Youths aged 16 – 18 who have left school (19.3%)
Volunteering amongst 11-18 year olds could be higher or lower than
recorded in the YPiS survey due to the above groups not being
included. However, VS believes the impact of this is marginal and
does not affect the overall findings from the YPiS survey.
Note: see ‘Technical Note’ for relevant data sources
Methodology
6. A ‘good news’ story – key findings
• Current engagement: 52% of young people volunteer (= 146,000 secondary
school children1) – c. double the adult level of 27%2
• Future engagement: 21% of ‘non-volunteers’ would like to volunteer in the
future
• Growth: strong growth trend in youth volunteering:
– 33% in 2009 (Being Young in Scotland, 2009)
– 45% in 2014 (YPiS, 2014)
– 52% in 2016 (YPiS, 2016)
• Regularity: 31% of young people volunteer at least once a month – compared
to only 17% of adults. Other evidence suggests that volunteering benefits are
directly linked to ‘regularity’
• Health benefits: 49% of young people volunteering choose sport or exercise –
associated with potential health benefits, combating childhood obesity, etc.
1 Source: http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/School-Education/TrendData (right click to open hyperlink)
2 Source: Scottish Household Survey, 2015 (http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/16002) (right click to open hyperlink)
7. Levels of volunteering
• 52% of young people have formally volunteered, with the majority doing so in their spare
time = 146,000 young people in total
• 15% of young people volunteer in both their spare time and in school time
27%
40%
21%
12% 13%
3%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
Yes, in school
time
Yes, in my own
spare time
No, but would like
to in future
No, and would
not consider
doing so
Don't know Prefer not to say
%ofyoungpeople
52%
33%
13%
3%
Yes
No
Don't Know
Not Stated
n = 1,550
8. Trend in youth volunteering: 2014 to 2016
Being Young in Scotland survey reported 33%
of 11-16 year olds had volunteered in 2009
20%
34%
18%
14%
17%
5%
45%
27%
40%
21%
12% 13%
3%
52%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Yes, in school
time
Yes, in my own
spare time
No, but would
like to in future
No, and would
not consider
doing so
Don't know Prefer not to
say
Total Yes
2014 (n = 2,016) 2016 (n = 1,550)
%ofyoungpeople
Strong growth in volunteering participation from 33% in 2009 to 52% in 2016
9. Levels of volunteering: by gender
21%
38%
20%
17%
14%
3%
46%
35%
42%
23%
6%
12%
1%
58%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
Yes, in school
time
Yes, in my own
spare time
No, but I'd like to
in the future
No, and I'd not
consider doing so
in the future
Don't know Prefer not to say Total Yes
%ofyoungpeople
Male Female
n = 1,550
• Girls are more engaged in volunteering than boys – 55% compared to 44%
• For ‘non-volunteers’, 17% of boys expressed no interest in volunteering compared to
only 6% of girls
10. Levels of volunteering: by age
51%
54%
42% 41%
54%
62%
67%
-10%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
11 12 13 14 15 16 17/18
%ofyoungpeople
Age
n = 1,550
• Volunteering participation increases towards school-leaving age
• Reason for relatively strong engagement amongst 11-12 year olds is unknown
11. Frequency of volunteering
(as proportion of those volunteering)
61% of young volunteers are
volunteering on a regular basis (at
least once a month)
25% of young volunteers are
volunteering on an occasional
basis
13% D/K; prefer not to say
2%
12%
5%
12%
8%
12%
30%
19%
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35%
Prefer not to say
Don't know
No more than once a year
A few times a year
Five or six times a year
At least once a month
About once a week
A few times a week
% of young people volunteering
n = 817
12. Frequency of volunteering: by age
51%
59%
75%
30%
27%
18%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
11 - 13yrs 14 - 15yrs 16 - 18yrs
%ofyoungpeoplevolunteering
Regular Occasional
n = 817
• 16-18 year olds volunteer the most frequently
• Reasons for increased volunteering:
• drive to build experience, skills & CV
• more volunteering opportunities for post 16 age group?
13. Volunteering participation
Young people vs. adults
Volunteering participation
52%
27%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Young People
(YPiS 2016;
n=1,550)
Adults (SHS
2014; n=9,800)
%ofpopulation
31%
17%
13%
10%
7%
0%
-10%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Young people
(YPiS 2016; n=817)
Adults
(SHS 2014; n=2,670)
%ofpopulation
Regular vs. occasional volunteering
Regular volunteering
Occasional
volunteering
Don't know/ prefer
not to say
14. Young people volunteer in the following areas:
1%
6%
6%
2%
2%
4%
5%
5%
7%
8%
9%
11%
12%
23%
31%
39%
49%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%
Prefer not to say
Don't know
Other (please say what)
Political groups
Justice and human rights
Environmental protection
Wildlife protection
Animal welfare
Religious groups
First aid or safety
Health or disabilities
Older people/the elderly
Local community or neighbourhood groups
Hobbies/arts/recreation/social clubs
Children or young people (in school)
Children or young people’s groups (outside school)
Sport or exercise
% of young people volunteering
Sport, children, recreation
and social clubs dominate
young people’s volunteering
n = 817
15. Gender variations by type of
volunteering (selected examples)
57%
30%
23%
10%
4%
44%
46%
38%
7% 7%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Sport or exercise Children or young people's
groups (outside school)
Children or young people
(in school)
First aid or safety Health or disabilities
%ofyoungpeoplevolunteering
Type of Volunteering
Boys Girls
n = 817
Sport/exercise is the only area of
volunteering where boys are
considerably more engaged than girls
16. WHY HAS YOUTH VOLUNTEERING
INCREASED?
YOUNG PEOPLE VOLUNTEERING
17. • Push factors: parents, teachers & friends
• Pull factors: skills, experience and CV
• Jobs market: increasingly tight employment conditions for young people since
the economic recession of 2008. Linked to ‘pull factors’ above.
• Incentives: awards & recognition
• Targeted support: e.g. Project Scotland, The Prince’s Trust, Third Sector
Interface Network, etc.
Possible explanations
18. Routes into Volunteering (2014):
‘Push factors’
• Parents/guardians are most likely
to help young people into
volunteering, followed by teachers
and then friends
• Only 6% of young people start
volunteering on their own
[Note: this question was not asked in the
2016 YPiS survey]
n = 923
0%
1%
2%
6%
10%
11%
18%
24%
30%
32%
41%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%
Neighbour
Someone at local job centre
Someone else
Did it on my own
Someone at local org (e.g. library)
Someone from a scheme (e.g. DofE,
Saltire)
Other family member
Someone at a club/group
Friend
Teacher
Parent/guardian
% of young people volunteering
19. 16%
13% 12%
8%
8%
15%
12%
9%
8%
9%
7%
2%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
11 - 13yrs 14 - 15yrs 16 - 18yrs
%ofyoungpeoplevolunteering
Other family member(s)
Friend(s)
Teacher(s)
My parent(s) or guardian
Routes into Volunteering (2014):
‘Push factors’ by age (selected examples)
• Family & friends have greatest influence with 11-13 year olds
• Teachers have greatest influence with 16-18 year olds
n = 923
20. Actual benefits of volunteering
72%
48% 47% 45% 45% 43%
40%
37%
29%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
%ofyoungpeoplevolunteering
69%
34%
31%
22%
12% 11%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
Wellbeing benefits Career benefits
(‘pull factors’)
n = 817
• Career benefits are important – especially skills development
• However, wellbeing, social capital & altruistic benefits are cited more frequently
• This highlights the importance of volunteering in enhancing self-efficacy
23. Volunteering – ‘Influences’ (2014)
9%
9%
11%
11%
13%
18%
19%
21%
29%
29%
37%
56%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%
Help to find opportunities
Volunteer with family
Volunteer outside school time
In charge of own volunteering
Consistency
Volunteer in school time
If someone asked me
'Taster' session
Close to home
Improve skills
Improve career prospects
Volunteer with friends
• Volunteering with friends
would most encourage young
people to volunteer, followed
by ‘improving career
prospects’
• 18% of young people would
be more encouraged to
volunteer if they could do so
in school time, compared to
11% in their own time
n = 2,016
24. Volunteering – ‘Influences’ (2014)
More girls want to volunteer with their friends (62%) than boys (49%)
More girls would consider volunteering in their spare time (16%) than
boys (7%)
29% of all young people would be more interested in volunteering if they
could do so close to where they live
11-13 year olds are more interested in being able to volunteer with their
family than older age groups
26. 52%
29%
24%
31%
28%
28%
19%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
11 - 18 16 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 59 60 - 74 75 +
%ofpeople
Age category
Youth vs. adult volunteering participation
Trend in volunteering by age
YPiS, 2016, n=1,550
SHS, 2015, n=9,410
See separate ‘Technical Note’
on age cohort coverage
27. Possible explanations for drop-off
• Absence of the ‘ASK’ factor when young people leave education
• Demand for skills / CV building reduces when in employment
• Lack of time – increased career / personal responsibilities in
adulthood (yet, adult volunteering is highest for 35 – 44 age group,
which is usually the busiest time of people’s lives)
• Peer pressure/influence – perhaps volunteering is less appealing for
young adults
Addressing the drop-off: Can the ‘good practice’ lessons from
youth volunteering be used to grow adult volunteering?
28. Inclusive volunteering: key findings
Deprivation: ‘U-shaped’ curve for volunteering in school by SIMD quintile: a surprising
but welcome finding. However, there is a major decline in the volunteering rate out of
school:
• 50% for schools with no pupils in lowest SIMD quintile
• 16% for schools with 60 – 100% of pupils in lowest quintile
Physical/mental health condition: volunteering is highest amongst those with a
physical or mental health condition of at least 12 months (61% vs. 53%) – a major
finding. This is counter-intuitive and at variance with adult volunteering (equivalent SHS
2015 data are 17% vs. 27%)
Rurality: volunteering highest in rural areas compared to urban (65% vs. 49%)
Religion: volunteering participation and interest in volunteering is highest amongst
members of religious groups
Ethnicity: volunteering participation by white and non-white ethnic groups is similar
Gender: girls are more engaged than boys - 58% vs. 46% (see earlier graph)
29. Volunteering by deprivation
(Based on Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation)
50%
39%
34% 34%
16%
-10%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
None 0-20% 20-40% 40-60% 60-100%
%ofyoungpeople
Proportion of pupils in lowest SIMD quintile (by school)
33%
23% 24% 22%
33%
-10%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
None 0-20% 20-40% 40-60% 60-100%
%ofyoungpeople
Proportion of pupils in lowest SIMD quintile (by school)
n = 1,550
Deprivation data based on
proportion of pupils in the
lowest SIMD quintile for each
school.
Data source: Scottish
secondary schools contact
database
Volunteer in spare time
Volunteer in school time 62%
48% 47%
41%
47%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
None 0-20% 20-40% 40-60% 60-100%
%ofyoungpeople
Proportion of pupils in lowest SIMD quintile (by school)
Total number of volunteers
30. Volunteering by health condition
n = 1,550
36%
44%
14%
12% 12%
2%
61%
28%
42%
22%
11% 11%
2%
53%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
Yes, in school time Yes, in my own
spare time
No, but I'd like to in
the future
No, and I'd not
consider doing so
in the future
Don't know Prefer not to say Total Yes
%ofyoungpeople
Yes No
Physical or mental health condition?
31. Volunteering by urban/rural
n = 1,550
26%
36%
22%
12%
14%
3%
49%
32%
56%
16%
9% 9%
2%
65%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
Yes, in school time Yes, in my own
spare time
No, but I'd like to in
the future
No, and I'd not
consider doing so
in the future
Don't know Prefer not to say Total Yes
%ofyoungpeople
Urban Rural
33. Volunteering by ethnicity
n = 1,550
27%
40%
21%
11%
13%
2%
33%
38%
19%
11%
12%
5%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
Yes, in school time Yes, in my own
spare time
No, but I'd like to in
the future
No, and I'd not
consider doing so in
the future
Don't know Prefer not to say
%ofyoungpeople
White Non-white
Volunteering embraced fairly equally
by young people in white and non-
white communities across Scotland
35. Summary highlights
• Scotland’s young people are very ‘volunteer active’, with the potential for further
growth in volunteering
• A variety of push / pull and other factors appear to have supported this growth
• Volunteering confers significant benefits to young people: wellbeing, social
capital, altruism and career advantages
• Young people are particularly interested in sport-related volunteering
opportunities and volunteering with their friends
• Age is a key factor – volunteering participation increases as pupils approach
school-leaving age
• Boys and girls’ current and future interest in volunteering is different - playing out
some gender stereotypes
• Youth volunteering has both inclusive and exclusive elements:
– Strong engagement amongst those with a physical/mental health condition
is a real positive
– Very low ‘out of school’ volunteering levels for those in the lowest SIMD
quintile is a major concern
36. Key implications
• Focused support from parents, schools, national awards, etc. appears to have
been remarkably successful in achieving a high and growing volunteer
participation rate amongst young people
• What lessons, if any, could be applied to engage adult volunteers?
• Other opportunities and challenges:
– Whether further growth in young people volunteering can, and should, be
achieved?
– Is the balance of support between youth and adult volunteering optimal?
– How can we retain the high level of youth volunteering engagement into
adulthood ? Opportunity for potential ‘adult returners’?
– Can we make youth volunteering more inclusive ?
– In particular, how can we reach the most disadvantaged young people in
the lowest SIMD quintile?
