The document summarizes survey results on youth volunteering in Scotland from 2019. It finds that 49% of youth participated in formal volunteering, providing 11 million hours annually, compared to 26% of adults. However, youth volunteered less frequently and intensely than adults. Informal volunteering rates were lower at 25% for youth versus 36% for adults. Parental encouragement was an important influence on youth volunteering participation. The benefits of volunteering for youth well-being were emphasized, in addition to career benefits.

1. Debbie Maltman and Matthew Linning
Volunteer Scotland, Research and Evaluation
W www.volunteerscotland.org.uk @VolScotland
Young People in Scotland Survey, 2019
Analysis of volunteering – summary results
August 2020

2. Structure
• Methodology
• Formal volunteering
o Participation rates
o Adults vs. young people
o Key influences
• Informal volunteering
• Summary

3. IPSOS Mori Survey (2019):
• Representative sample of over 1,700 young people in Scotland.
• Aged 11-18 years
• 60 state-sector secondary schools - 26 local authorities.
• Self-completion survey: Sept – Nov 2019.
• Conducted in mixed ability classes
Methodology
Further information on the methodology is provided in
the separate ‘Technical Note’

4. YOUNG PEOPLE VOLUNTEERING
Formal volunteering –
participation rates

5. Trend in formal youth volunteering
Year % of young
people
Sample size
2014 45% 2,016
2016 52% 1,550
2019 49% 1,731

6. Formal volunteering participation
• 140,000 young people volunteering formally
• 13% of young people volunteer in both their own time and in school time
n=1731
21%
40%
17%
13%
17%
4%
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
do this in the
future
No, and I'd not
consider doing
this
Don’t Know Prefer not to say
%
of
young
people
n = 1,731
49%
30%
17%
4% Yes
No
Don’t Know
Prefer not
to say

7. Formal volunteering participation
- by age
n=1,660
49%
44%
41%
46%
49%
59%
68%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
11 12 13 14 15 16 17/18
%
of
young
people
Age

8. Long-term
health condition
Yes 55%
No 50%
Ethnicity
White 50%
Other ethnic 47%
Geography
Rural 52%
Urban 48%
Religion
Christian faiths 60%
Non-Christian 43%
Gender
Girls 53%
Boys 45%
Formal volunteering participation -
key demographics

9. Young people volunteer formally in the following
areas:
11%
4%
2%
4%
3%
4%
4%
6%
7%
8%
9%
15%
19%
23%
33%
37%
39%
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45%
Don’t know / prefer not to say
Other
Trade Unions, justice and human rights
Politics
Emergency services, first aid and public safety
Online volunteering
Culture and heritage
Groups aimed at supporting older people
Religion and belief
Environmental protection
Animal welfare
Health, disability and wellbeing
Local community or neighbourhood
Hobbies and recreation
Children or young people (in schools)
Children or youth groups (outside school)
Physical activity, sport and exercise
% of young people volunteering
n=843

10. YOUNG PEOPLE VOLUNTEERING
Formal volunteering –
adults vs. young people

11. 49%
26%
21%
33%
28% 28%
19%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
11-18 16 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 59 60 - 74 75 +
%
of
population
Youth vs. adult volunteering participation
Trend in formal volunteering –
by age
YPiS, 2019, n=1,731
SHS, 2018, n=9,700
See separate ‘TechnicalNote’
on age cohort coverage

12. Formal volunteering participation
Young people vs. adults
Total volunteering participation Regular volunteering participation
(at least once per month)
49%
26%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Young People
(YPiS 2019;
n=1,731)
Adults
(SHS 2018;
n=9,700)
%
of
population
29%
20%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
Young People
(YPiS 2019;
n=843)
Adults
(SHS 2018;
n=2,522)
%
of
volunteers

13. Formal volunteering hours
Young people vs. adults (hours in last 4 weeks)
54%
22%
11%
5%
2% 3% 3%
19%
34%
17%
7% 7% 6% 5%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
< 1 hour 1-5 hrs 6-10 hrs 11-15 hrs 16-20 hrs 21-35 hrs 36 hrs +
%
of
volunteers
Young people Adults
(YPiS 2019
n=843)
(SHS 2018
n=2,540)
Young people = 11 million hours p.a. (2019)
Adults (age 16+) = 128 million hours p.a. (2018)

14. Formal volunteering by deprivation
(Based on Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation Quintiles - SIMD Q)
Adult volunteering participation
Youth volunteering participation
45%
39%
50%
54% 54%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
SIMD Q1
(n=357)
SIMD Q2
(n=321)
SIMD Q3
(n=327)
SIMD Q4
(n=348)
SIMD Q5
(n=377)
%
of
young
people
20% 21%
29% 30% 31%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
SIMD Q1 SIMD Q2 SIMD Q3 SIMD Q4 SIMD Q5
%
of
adults
(age
16)

15. YOUNG PEOPLE VOLUNTEERING
Formal volunteering –
‘influences’

16. Routes into Formal volunteering:
‘Push factors’
2%
4%
10%
11%
12%
13%
20%
22%
22%
46%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%
Someone else
Someone at a local community organisation
(e.g. library)
No, I did it without any encouragement
Someone from a scheme
(e.g. DofE, Saltire)
Other family member
Don’t know / prefer not to say
Friends
Someone at a club or group I go to
A teacher
My parent(s), or guardian
% of young people volunteering
n=843

17. Actual benefits of formal volunteering
Wellbeing benefits Career benefits
n = 817
20%
20%
23%
26%
35%
36%
37%
37%
39%
43%
52%
67%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80%
Feeling less lonely or isolated
Improved mental health
Improved physical health
Increased trust in others
Feeling better about myself
Feeling happier
Feeling appreciated
Feeling I've made a difference
Making new friends
Feeling part of a team
Increasing confidence
Having fun
% of young people volunteering
12%
15%
22%
24%
40%
54%
0% 20% 40% 60%
Feeling I've improved my
study prospects
Feeling I've improved my
job prospects
Increased understanding of
what I can achieve
Learning how to overcome
challenges
Being a leader
Learning new skills
% of young people volunteering
n=843
n=843

18. Formal Volunteering – ‘Influences’
(Top 10)
13%
14%
15%
18%
21%
21%
23%
24%
24%
27%
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30%
If there were more volunteering
opportunities available for people under…
If I knew I would be appreciated
If I could volunteer close to where I live
If it fitted around my other commitments
(e.g. homework, weekend job, etc.)
Don’t know
If I knew I would be making a difference
If it would improve my skills
If it would improve my career/job prospects
If I could volunteer in something that
interested me or was important to me
If I could do it with my friends
% of young people
n = 1,731

19. YOUNG PEOPLE VOLUNTEERING
Informal volunteering

20. Levels of informal volunteering
• 25% of young people have informally volunteered, = 72,000 young people in total
25%
23%
14%
31%
6%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
Yes No, but I'd like
to do this in
the future
No, and I'd not
consider doing
this
Don’t Know Prefer not to
say
%
of
young
people
25%
37%
31%
6%
Yes
No
Don’t
Know
Prefer
not to
say
n = 1,731

21. Levels of informal
volunteering: by age
• Informal volunteer participation does not follow the same trend of increasing
formal volunteer participation with age.
• Why are both formal and informal volunteer participation rates high for 11
year-olds?
29%
19%
25%
23%
29%
30%
29%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
11 12 13 14 15 16 17/18
%
of
young
people
n=1,660

22. 25%
35% 35%
42%
37% 36%
24%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
11-18 16 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 59 60 - 74 75 +
%
of
population
Youth vs. adult volunteering participation
Trend in informal volunteering
by age
YPiS, 2019, n=1,731
SHS, 2018, n=9,700
Age

23. Informal volunteering participation
Young people vs. adults
Regular volunteering
(at least once/month)
25%
36%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
Young People
(YPiS 2019;
n=1,731)
Adults
(SHS 2018;
n=9,700)
%
of
population
16%
30%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
Young People
(YPiS 2019;
n=436)
Adults
(SHS 2018;
n=2,522)
%
of
population
Total volunteering

24. YOUNG PEOPLE VOLUNTEERING
Summary

25. Formal volunteering
• 49% participation rate = 11 million hours p.a. (adults = 26%)
• But frequency and intensity much lower than adult formal volunteering
• Importance of wellbeing benefits…not just career benefits
• Improved ‘reach’ into deprived communities
o 45% for SIMD Q1 (vs. 20% for adults)
• Influence of parents/guardians critically important re. engagement
Informal volunteering
• 25% participation rate vs. formal rate of 49% (adult informal = 36%)
• Only 16% for ‘regular’ informal volunteering
• Factors: limited school influence; altruism focus; less opportunity;
personal risk, etc.
Youth volunteering summary, 2019