General Article What are the demographics of volunteers?

Topic Selected: Citizenship in the UK Book Volume: 382

Need to know

  • People aged 65–74 are the age group most likely to volunteer on a regular basis.
  • Women are more likely to volunteer at least once in the last year than men.
  • Around one in five people in employment volunteer regularly.
  • Volunteering rates are higher in rural areas.
  • People from higher socio-economic groups who live in less deprived areas are more likely to volunteer, but with smaller differences for informal volunteering.

By age

In 2018/19, 65–74 year olds are the age group most likely to volunteer formally on a regular basis: More than one quarter (28%) volunteered at least once a month while more than a third (39%) volunteered at least once a year.

People aged 25–34 were least likely to formally volunteer compared to all other age groups. 15% volunteered at least once a month (regularly) and 29% at least once a year. This remains unchanged from previous years.

Participation levels among 16–24-year olds declined from the previous year (2017/18) – from 39% to 35% for vol...

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