Volunteering in Austria: Almost Every Second Person is Involved Voluntarily

3.73 million people in Austria are volunteering in clubs, churches, organizations, and initiatives or helping others informally. This is almost half of the population aged 15 and over, at 48.2 percent, reported Statistics Austria on Thursday. Thus, engagement has slightly decreased compared to the last survey in 2022 (49.4 percent or around 3.7 million people). Helping others and enjoying the activity are the main reasons for the help.

Volunteering is the "Glue of Society"

"Voluntary engagement is the glue in society that is so essential," said Social Minister Korinna Schumann (SPÖ) at a press conference on Thursday in Vienna on the occasion of Volunteer Day on December 5. It is, alongside the "well-developed welfare state, an indispensable support." Moreover, it not only benefits society as a whole, "but also helps those who engage," explained the minister. Among other things, "personal satisfaction is increased," and it is also "an effective means against loneliness."

Six Hours Per Week – Millions of Hours Volunteered

On average, volunteers invest nearly six hours per week in their engagement. Especially older people aged 60 and over are active with an average of 7.29 hours per week. Overall, volunteers in Austria contribute around 22 million hours per week, which is an "impressive number," said Manuela Lenk, Director General of Statistics Austria. In the informal sector, which includes privately organized activities without a club or organization in the background, such as neighborhood help, volunteer activity has increased from 36.7 percent in 2022 to 38.7 percent. Formal help, which includes unpaid activities with an organization or club, has decreased from 25.8 percent to 24.1 percent. The reasons for this were surveyed by Statistics in the volunteer activity survey. The most common answer was that people are "too engaged professionally or with family" or "because they have never been asked or never thought about it," explained Lenk.

Men Volunteer More Often Than Women

"Around 20 percent of volunteers are active exclusively within the institutional framework of a club or organization, about 50 percent help others informally, and 30 percent are active both formally and informally," explained the expert. Men volunteer slightly more often than women: Of all men living in Austria over 15 years old, 50.7 percent are volunteering, compared to 45.8 percent of women. However, women perform more unpaid work per week: They spend a median of around 2.77 hours on their volunteer activities, while men spend about 2.5 hours.

In the informal sector, women are slightly more represented than men, with 50.3 percent compared to 49.7 percent. In the formal sector, most volunteers are active in the areas of sports and exercise (around 517,000 people), disaster and rescue services (approximately 435,000), arts, culture, and entertainment (about 399,000), as well as social and health services (around 269,000). The distribution of tasks in formal volunteer work shows clear gender-specific differences. Men more often take on leadership and management roles (68.6 percent) and are more active in advocacy and participation (64.8 percent). In contrast, women are relatively often involved in information and public relations (56.8 percent), in group instruction and educational support (54.4 percent), as well as in the organization and implementation of (aid) projects.

The press conference took place at LernLEO of the Samaritan Association. There, children from low-income families receive free homework and learning support. This is a "flagship project," emphasized Schumann and Franz Schnabl, President of the Samaritan Association of Austria. Schnabl wishes for the project to be "rolled out across Austria" and pointed out, among other things, that poverty makes people sick. "The higher the education, the higher the prevention," he emphasized. At the Samaritan Association, "almost 5,000 people regularly contribute a very, very large number of hours." "Volunteering is not a given," said Schnabl. It should not be seen as a "cheap, economical alternative for services that society must provide." "I am concerned that we live in a society where voluntary or charitable engagement is under general suspicion," said the Samaritan Association President. This is "not acceptable from the perspective of volunteers and NGOs." "It must be clear to all of us that a strong civil society is the foundation of a democracy," emphasized Schnabl. Anyone who doubts this "does not strengthen democracy, but weakens it."

Rural Areas Particularly Active

Volunteering in clubs and organizations is more widespread in rural areas: Two-thirds of volunteers live in communities with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants. In the informal sector, the differences between urban and rural areas are less pronounced. Overall, the smaller the community, the more its residents are voluntarily active - in communities with fewer than 2,500 inhabitants, it is 54 percent, while in communities with more than 100,000 inhabitants, it is only 43.6 percent. In a comparison of federal states, the highest participation in the volunteer sector is in Lower Austria with 52.3 percent, followed by 51.6 percent in Lower Austria and 51.2 percent in Vorarlberg. According to statistics, the federal states of Carinthia with 43.3, Salzburg with 42.9, and Vienna with 42.4 percent show a tendentially lower participation.

Participation is high across all age groups: Among those under 30, it is 50.4 percent, in the age group 30 to 39 years it is 50.8 percent, and among those aged 40 to 49 years it is 52.6 percent. The highest rate is 53.1 percent among those aged 50 to 59 years. After that, it decreases to 47.8 percent (60-69 years), 40 percent (70-79 years), and 24.2 percent among those over 80 years old. Education level also plays a role: 56.3 percent of high school graduates and 63.7 percent of university graduates volunteer, while it is 46.3 percent among those with an apprenticeship qualification.

Entry Often Through Voluntary Social Year

According to Schumann, the Voluntary Social Year (FSJ) is considered an entry point into volunteer work. Interest in the FSJ has increased massively since the 2023 legislative amendment. Currently, almost 1,000 young people are deployed through the non-profit association, almost twice as many as two years ago, it was stated in a release on Thursday.

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.