This week we acknowledge the army of volunteers helping out in hospitals, the Red Cross, charities and many other various places. Some volunteers are less visible as they help out in domestic situations. Here is a small sample of the numbers involved:
How many people volunteer?
In 2010, 6.1 million people (36%) of the Australian population aged 18 years and over participated in voluntary work, with women (38%) more likely to volunteer than men (34%).
Estimated no. of | Survey 2006 | Survey 2010 |
Volunteers in Australia | 5.2m | 6.1m |
Who volunteers?
Volunteer rates across the states and territories were relatively similar to the national average, but volunteering was more common among those living outside of a capital city. In 2010, the volunteer rate was 41% outside capital cities compared with 34% for capital cities. There was no significant difference in rates between the capital cities, except for Darwin (43%), where the rate was higher than the overall capital city rate
Gender
- Slightly more women (36%) than men (34%) volunteered.
Age
- Volunteer rates varied across different age groups in the population and particularly varied with life stage.
- People aged 45-54 years reported the highest rate of volunteering.
- Young people represented 9.4% of all people who had volunteered in the previous 12 months
- 593,700 people aged 18-24 had undertaken voluntary work in the previous 12 months
- Young people most commonly volunteered for groups related to sport and recreation.
http://www.volunteeringaustralia.org/research-and-advocacy/the-latest-picture-of-volunteering-in-aus...
That is only a small snapshot of the volunteering story. Not bad for a nation that is supposedly short on compassion. The volunteer that helps a blind 80-year-old women with her weekly shopping is hardly likely to get a mention in the news media.
