New Survey Reveals Volunteering Rates in England Hit Record Lows!

Volunteer participation in England has reached its lowest point since records began, according to the latest Community Life Survey published by the Department for Culture, Media & Sport. The survey, released in December 2024, reveals a concerning dip in both formal and informal volunteering, highlighting the challenges facing community engagement efforts.

The study shows that just 33% of adults in England, approximately 15.1 million people, engaged in either formal or informal volunteering at least once a month. This marks a one percentage point decrease from the 2021/22 figures and is the lowest level recorded since the annual survey’s inception in 2013/14. The overall percentage of adults participating in some form of volunteering at least once within the past 12 months also declined, falling to 54%, another one-point drop compared to the previous study.

Formal Volunteering Continues to Decline: Formal volunteering, defined as giving unpaid help to groups or clubs, such as leading a group or providing administrative support, continues to exhibit a worrying downward trend. While 16% of adults participated at least once a month in the past year, a figure consistent with 2021/22, this hides a significant long-term decline. Monthly formal volunteer participation was at 27% in 2013/14, and saw a “notable” decrease from 23% in 2019/20 to 17% in 2020/21. The latest figures represent the lowest rate of monthly participation since data collection began.

However, there is one positive note, with 28% reporting any formal volunteering in the past year, a slight increase of one percentage point compared to 2021/22.

Informal Volunteering Also Sees Record Lows: Similarly alarming is the significant dip in informal volunteering, which includes offering unpaid help to individuals outside of family, such as babysitting or assisting with household chores. In 2023/24, the survey found that just 44% of adults had engaged in informal volunteering at least once in the past year, a figure consistent with 2021/22 (46%) but markedly lower than 2020/21 (54%). This represents the lowest rate of both monthly and annual participation in informal volunteering since the study began.

Why Are People Not Volunteering?

The survey also shed light on the factors contributing to the decreased volunteer participation. The most frequently cited reasons for not volunteering were:

• Work Commitments: 51% of respondents stated that work kept them from volunteering.
• Other Spare Time Activities: 33% indicated that they had other things to do in their free time.
• Looking After Children: 22% of respondents cited childcare responsibilities as a barrier to volunteering.

You can access this Community Life Survey and others by clicking HERE.

Implications & Moving Forward

The findings of the Community Life Survey paint a concerning picture of declining civic engagement and community involvement. The reasons cited for not volunteering, primarily relating to time constraints and life pressures, highlight the challenges facing individuals and the need for innovative solutions to encourage participation. While people are still willing to donate to good causes, the decline in volunteer hours could have a significant impact on many organisations who rely on the efforts of dedicated volunteers.

MVA are dedicated to supporting community and voluntary groups and organisations across the Medway towns and offer a wide range of free support and resources not just for the organisations, but also for people interested in starting volunteering or looking to help in other ways.

Contact Lisa at MVA on lisa@mva.org.uk to find out how we can help you as either an organisation, group or as someone wanting to volunteer, start making a difference in our communities today.