Volunteer Growth in America

A REVIEW OF TRENDS SINCE 1974

A Research Report in the Volunteering In America Series
The mission of the Corporation for National and Community Service is to improve lives, 

strengthen communities, and foster civic engagement through service and volunteering. 

Each year, the Corporation provides opportunities for more than two million Americans

of all ages and backgrounds to serve their communities and country through Senior Corps, 

AmeriCorps, and Learn and Serve America. 

Upon request this material will be made available in alternative formats for people with disabilities.

December 2006

Corporation for National and Community Service, Office of Research and Policy Development Authors

Robert Grimm, Jr., Director 

Nathan Dietz, Research Associate and Statistician 

John Foster-Bey, Senior Advisor

This document was written in partnership with the following authors from the Indiana University School 

of Public & Environmental Affairs

David Reingold, Associate Professor & Director, Public Affairs & Public Policy Ph.D. Programs

Rebecca Nesbit, Doctoral Candidate
VOLUNTEER GROWTH IN AMERICA



INTRODUCTION

Throughout the history of the United States, 

Americans have valued an ethic of service. As Alexis 

de Tocqueville wrote over a century and a half ago, 

this ethic of service “prompts [Americans] to assist 

one another and inclines them willingly to sacrifice 

a portion of their time and property to the welfare 

of the state.”1 Today, the ethic remains strong as 

Americans of all ages donate their time to schools, 

churches, hospitals, and other local nonprofits in 

an effort to improve their communities. Every 

day, people across the country mentor students, 

beautify neighborhoods, help older Americans to 

live independently, restore homes after disasters, and 

much more. 

The mission of the Corporation for National and 

Community Service (the Corporation) is to improve 

lives, strengthen communities, and foster civic 

engagement through service and volunteering. 

As part of that mission, the Corporation supports 

schools, colleges, and other nonprofit organizations 

to help foster a culture of service in communities and 

on campuses. We work in partnership with schools 

and nonprofits to help build their capacity to recruit, 

train, manage and support volunteers. Through these 

efforts, we continue to work together to achieve a 

national goal to increase by 10 million the number of 

American adult volunteers, from 65 million in 2005 to 

75 million by 2010.

This research brief, Volunteer Growth in America: A 

Review of Trends Since 1974, provides an in-depth look 

at how volunteering compares by age groups for the 

period from 1974 to 2005.2 While previous reports 

released under our Volunteering in America series have 

looked at volunteering over the past four years3, this 

report presents a historical view of volunteering 

through an analysis of data collected in 1974, 1989, 

and 2002-2005 from the Current Population Survey 

(CPS).4 The CPS is a comprehensive and scientifically 

rigorous survey of 60,000 American households 

conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Bureau 

of Labor Statistics. In addition to the two volunteer 

surveys administered in 1974 and 1989, the Census 

Bureau has administered a volunteer survey each year 

since September 2002 with the Corporation’s support. 

It is our hope that this report will help us capitalize 

on Americans’ interest in volunteering and generate 

more opportunities for people to begin or deepen their 

commitment to volunteering. 


KEY FINDINGS

Volunteering is at a 30-year high. 

n The adult volunteer rate declined by 15 

percent between 1974 and 1989 (23.6% to 20.4%, 

respectively) but rebounded to a new high today 

(27%). In fact, the adult volunteering rate increased 

by more than 32 percent since 1989. (See Figure 1)

n The growth in volunteering has been driven 

primarily by three age groups: older teenagers (ages 

16 to 19); mid-life adults (ages 45 to 64); and older 

adults (65 years old and over).

n Volunteering that takes place through an 

educational or youth service organization had the 

largest increase between 1989 and today. While 15.1 

percent of all volunteers served through or with an 

educational or youth service organization in 1989, 

24.6 percent of all volunteers serve through or with 

an educational organization today, a 63 percent 

increase.5 (See Figure 2) 

n The proportion of Americans volunteering 

through a religious organization decreased 

slightly between 1989 (37.4%) and today (35.5%). 

Meanwhile, the proportion of volunteers serving 

through civic, political, professional, and international 

organizations dropped substantially between 1989 

(13.2%) and today (6.8%). 

Volunteering among teenagers (ages 16 to 19) has 

dramatically increased since 1989.

n While volunteer rates among teenagers declined 

between 1974 and 1989 (20.9% and 13.4%, 

respectively), the percentage of teenagers who 

volunteer more than doubled between 1989 and 2005 

(from 13.4% to 28.4%). 

n While the teenage volunteering rate has increased 

significantly over the last 30 years, teenagers continue 

to be primarily interested in episodic volunteering 

(contributing 99 or fewer hours a year). Today, 67.9 

percent of teenagers are episodic volunteers.

n Teenage volunteers are significantly more likely to 

serve with educational or youth service organizations 

today (34.7% in 2005 vs. 26.8% in 1989). In fact, 

volunteering with a religious organizations (30.3% in 

2005 vs. 34.4% in 1989) was the most common place 

that teenagers volunteered in 1989 but it is now the 

second most popular place for teenager volunteering, 

behind educational organizations.6 

n More teenage volunteers are also serving with social 

and community service organizations today (12.9% in 

2005 vs. 7% in 1989). 

Baby Boomers are creating the highest mid-life (ages 

45 to 64) volunteer rate in 30 years.

n Baby Boomers (who make up 75% of this group) 

are the primary reason for a 37 percent increase in 

volunteering among mid-life Americans since 1989 

(from 23.2% in 1974 and 22% in 1989 to 30% in 

2005.) 

n The proportion of volunteers ages 45 to 54 who 

serve with educational organizations has more than 

doubled since 1989 (24.4% in 2005 vs. 11.8% in 

1989). Likewise, the proportion of volunteers ages 

55 to 64 who serve with educational or youth service 

organizations has nearly doubled since 1989 (12.3% in 

2005 from 6.7% in 1989).

n The proportion of American volunteers who serve 

with or through a religious organization fell among 

Americans ages 45 to 64 between 1989 and 2005 (from 

40.8% in 1989 to 36.5% in 2005 among 45 to 54 yearolds, and 45.7% in 1989 to 40.3% in 2005 among 55 

to 64 year-olds). Nonetheless, both age groups are still 

more likely to volunteer with religious organizations 

than any other type of organization. 

1974 1989 2005

0

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

Figure 1: Adult Volunteer Rate (age 16+)

(1974 to 2005)

Year

Volunteer Rate
VOLUNTEER GROWTH IN AMERICA



n Similarly, there was a decline in volunteering 

with civic, political, professional, and international 

organizations among the same age group between 

1989 and 2005 (from 15.1% in 1989 to 7.3% in 2005 

among 45 to 54 year-olds and 16.1% in 1989 to 9.2% 

in 2005 among 55 to 64 year-olds). 

n The percentage of 45 to 64 year-old volunteers 

serving episodically (99 or fewer hours a year) has 

increased by 14 percent in the last 15 years (50.7% in 

1989 vs. 57.7% in 2005).

Volunteering among older adults (ages 65 and older) 

has increased 64 percent since 1974.

n While the overall adult volunteer rate declined 

substantially from 1974 to 1989, the volunteer rate for 

adults 65 years old and over actually increased during 

that period (14.3% in 1974 to 16.9% in 1989). In 

fact, older adult volunteering has been on an upward

trajectory through the last three decades, going from 

14.3 percent in 1974 to 23.5 percent in 2005. 

n The proportion of older adults who volunteer 100 

or more hours a year is 46 percent higher today than in 

1974. Today, 46.1 percent of older adults volunteer 100 

or more hours a year while 31.6 percent of older adults 

volunteered 100 or more hours in 1974. 

n Today, older adults are the most likely group to 

serve 100 or more hours a year. This was not the 

case in 1974 when all volunteers 20 years old and 

over had virtually the same percentage of volunteers 

contributing 100+ hours a year.7

n Unlike the general trend, the percentage of older 

adult volunteers who serve through or with a religious 

organization did not decline between 1989 and 

2005 (43.3% and 45.5%, respectively). Meanwhile, 

considerably fewer seniors volunteer through a 

hospital or health-related organization today (from 

17.8% in 1989 to 10.9% in 2005). 

Religious

0

5%

1%

15%

20%

25%

30%

Figure 2: Volunteering by Orginization

(1989 vs. 2005)

40%

35%

Figure 2: Adult Volunteering by Type of Organization8

(1989 vs. 2005)

2005

1989

Educational 

or youth

service

Civic, 

political, professional or

international

Hospital

or other

health

Social or

community service

Sport,

hobby, cultural 

or arts

Type of Organization

Proportion of Volunteers


Episodic volunteering (contributing 99 or fewer 

volunteer hours in a year) has increased between 

1989 and 2005.

n The nature of volunteering has changed somewhat 

since 1989, when the number of Americans 

volunteering 100 or more hours was at a 30-year high. 

In 1989, 40.1 percent of volunteers served 100 or 

more hours in a year, compared to 34.9 percent serving 

100 or more hours today and 29 percent in 1974. 

n The increase in episodic volunteering since 1989 

is largely driven by teenagers (67.9% are episodic 

volunteers) and adults ages 45 to 64 (57.7% are 

episodic volunteers), the two groups with the largest 

increase in the sheer number of volunteers serving 99 

or fewer hours in a year.

Methodological Note on Survey Comparisons

To enable comparisons across the 1974, 1989, and 

2005 Current Population Surveys (CPS) administered 

by the U.S. Census Bureau, a consistent definition 

of an “adult volunteer” has been used. For all three 

survey periods, an adult volunteer is someone age 16 

and older who did work through an organization in the 

previous 12 months for which they were not paid.

This adult definition excludes respondents age 14 and 

15 from the analysis, which causes the volunteer rate to 

differ from the results previously published from the 

1974 survey. The results from the 1989 survey match 

the ones reported in previously published research 

by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Meanwhile, 

the 2005 results come from a pooled CPS dataset that 

combines responses from the 2003, 2004, and 2005 

volunteer surveys. For this reason, the 2005 results will 

differ from some previously published BLS statistics.

To create a fair historical comparison, we have modified 

the calculation of the 2005 volunteer rate from that of 

previous reports. For this report, the 2005 volunteer 

rate is calculated based on responses to the initial 

volunteer prompt of the volunteer survey instrument 

(“Since September 1st of last year, [have you] done any 

volunteer activities through or for an organization?”). 

This calculation excludes a relatively small number of 

responses to the second volunteer prompt (“Sometimes 

people don’t think of activities they do infrequently 

or activities they do for children’s schools or youth 

organizations as volunteer activities. Since September 

last year, [have you] done any of these types of 

volunteer activities?”). Since the Census surveys of 

1989 and 1974 did not include a follow-up question, 

we excluded those respondents who responded 

positively to the second prompt in 2005 in order to 

prevent an over-inflation of the volunteering rate in 

2005. As a result, the 2005 volunteer results will be 

slightly lower than previously reported numbers.

More detailed report results and a fact sheet on 2005 volunteer trends 

can be found at www.nationalservice.gov
VOLUNTEER GROWTH IN AMERICA



ANALYSIS

WHY ARE MORE AMERICANS 

VOLUNTEERING TODAY? 

One of the key aspects of a strong democracy is 

volunteering. Its importance has been recognized 

throughout the history of our country as one of 

the threads that has held together the fabric of this 

nation and has strengthened the character of its 

citizens. Today, millions of Americans—on college 

campuses, through religious congregations, at schools, 

and in social service organizations—are participating 

in a wide range of volunteer activities, from teaching 

and mentoring children from disadvantaged 

circumstances, to helping older Americans live 

independently, to helping their fellow Americans 

recover from hurricanes and other disasters. Not 

only is volunteering one way for individuals to help 

their neighbors and enhance their communities, it 

also provides opportunities for youth to develop 

valuable skills, older Americans to remain healthy by 

being active and connected to their community, and 

adults to share their professional and work expertise. 

While research in the previous two decades has 

suggested that individuals’ involvement with their 

community has significantly declined over the last 

half-century,9 the findings in this report, and other 

recent trends, may actually signal that volunteering 

and some other forms of civic participation in 

America are beginning to undergo a renewal. In fact, 

Americans’ engagement in politics, like volunteering, 

is increasing today—with voter participation in 

presidential elections rising between 1996 and 2004.10

Many people speculate that recent events may have 

helped to boost Americans’ interest in service and 

community engagement. The terrorist attacks of 

September 11, 2001 shocked the nation, and may 

have been the catalyst for more Americans to make 

a contribution to the health and well-being of the 

nation. Similarly, recent natural disasters, such as 

Hurricane Ivan, the 2004 tsunami, the wildfires in

the southwestern and western United States, and 

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, may also have created 

an increased commitment to volunteering among 

Americans. 

The increase in volunteering may also be driven by 

an increased demand for volunteers from nonprofit 

organizations. The Urban Institute’s National Center 

on Charitable Statistics estimates that between 

1989 and 2004, the number of operating public 

charities more than doubled.11 While many of 

these new nonprofits may be primarily staffed by 

professionals, nonprofit organizations continue to 

rely on volunteers to help them run their internal 

operations and provide services to the community. 

A study of nonprofit volunteer management in 

2003, sponsored by the Corporation and the UPS 

Foundation, indicates that 81 percent of nonprofit 

organizations in America utilize volunteers. These 

two findings combine to suggest that there has been a 

large increase in the demand for volunteers.

Our research brief suggests that volunteering today is 

particularly robust among three age groups: teenagers, 

adults 45 to 64 years old, and adults 65 years and 

over (see Figure 3). We outline below how a variety 

of far-reaching changes in the nation over the last 30 

years may be connected to the shift in volunteering 

behaviors among these three age groups and the 

resurgence in volunteering among Americans today. 

Figure 3: Volunteer Rate (all age groups)

(1974 to 2005)

16-19

1989

0

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

20-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65 and over

2005

1974

Age Group

Volunteer Rate


only 9 percent for service-learning activities and 27 

percent for community service opportunities among 

public high schools in 1984, an indication that a large 

and growing number of America’s schools today place 

an emphasis on the value of service15.

Another motivator may have arisen out of the nation’s 

reaction to the events of September 11, 2001, as young 

people expressed an increased desire to serve their 

community. According to HERI, two out of three 

(66.3%) students entering college in 2005 believe it to 

be very important to help others who are in difficulty, 

the highest percentage reported by entering college 

students in the last 25 years. Young adults also are 

increasingly likely to discuss politics—reversing the 

downward trend in political engagement since 1994.16

This interest in political events is matched by an 11 

percentage point increase in the voting rates among 

young people in 2004, an increase that is well above 

the four percentage points in voting among all age 

groups.17 Together, our report and other research points 

to a historic level of community engagement among 

today’s teenagers. 

Mid-Life Adults

Increases in the rate of volunteering are also found 

among mid-life adults (ages 45 to 64). Between 1974 

and 2005, the volunteering rates of this age group 

increased by almost 30 percent (from 23.2% to 30% 

see Figure 5).18 Because today’s mid-life adults were 

born between 1941 and 1960, they span what is 

generally considered two different generations—the 

Silent Generation (born 1931 to 1945) and the Baby 

Boomers (born 1946 to 1964). However, Baby 

Boomers comprise 75 percent of this age group today, 

and appear to be driving the increase in volunteering 

rates, a finding that challenges the characterization of 

Baby Boomers as the “Me Generation.”

While this increase in volunteering among Baby 

Boomers and younger members of the group 

coined the “Silent Generation” is welcome news, 

it is challenging to ascertain why 45 to 64 year-olds 

in 2005 should be more likely to volunteer than 

adults who were of the same age in 1974 and 1989. 

Two possible explanations for the increase are higher 

levels of educational attainment; and delays 

in marriage and childbearing. 

Teenagers

While the volunteer rates of teenagers remained 

quite low in 1974 and 1989, we find that volunteering 

rates for individuals aged 16 to 19 actually doubled 

between 1989 and today—to a rate that exceeds 

the national volunteer rate (see Figure 4). Increased 

enthusiasm for volunteering among today’s young 

people is reflected in other research as well. For 

example, the Higher Education Research Institute’s 

(HERI) found an all-time high in the percentage of 

first-year college students who indicated that there 

was a high probability that they would volunteer or 

participate in community service sometime during 

their college careers.12 The Corporation’s College 

Students Helping America13 report recently highlighted a 

20 percent increase in the number of college students 

volunteering between 2002 and 2005, while the 

University of Michigan’s Monitoring the Future study also 

finds a rising trend in volunteering among teens.14

What exactly is driving young people’s increased 

enthusiasm for volunteering? One factor seems to 

be the growth of school-based service and servicelearning. There has been a growing trend to include 

community service and service-learning in America’s 

schools as educators and school administrators realize 

the value of service for youth academic and personal 

development. A national survey of school principals 

by the U.S. Department of Education in 1999 found 

that 46 percent of public high schools and 38 percent 

of public middle schools offered service-learning 

activities for their students, while 83 percent of high 

schools and 77 percent of middle schools organized 

community service opportunities. This compares to 

1974 1989 2005

0

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

Figure 4: Volunteer Rate for Teenagers (ages 16 to19)

(1974 to 2005)

Year

 Volunteer Rate
VOLUNTEER GROWTH IN AMERICA



Available evidence suggests that all else being equal, 

college educated individuals tend to volunteer at 

a higher rate than non-college educated adults.19

Between 1989 and 2005, the percentage of adults 45 

to 64 years old with a college education increased by 

157 percent (11.5% to 29.5%), with an accompanying 

108 percent increase in the percentage of 45 to 64 

year-old volunteers with a four-year college degree 

(22.4% to 46.5%). This increase in the proportion of 

mid-life adults with college degrees is likely to be an 

important contributor to the higher volunteer rates. 

While the increase in education among Baby Boomers 

and other mid-life adults may contribute to the rise in 

volunteering among 45 to 64 year-olds, the presence 

of children under 18 years of age in the household is 

another important predictor of volunteering.20

The connection between the presence of children 

under the age of 18 and the adult volunteering rate 

is likely driven by the demand for parents to serve in 

organizations related to their children’s educational 

and social involvement. In the past, volunteering 

appeared to peak at around 35 to 44 years old, when 

adults were most likely to be married with schoolaged children, and then decline dramatically starting at 

around age 45, as children in the household reached 

adulthood and began leaving the home. However, 

over the last 30 years, adults have been delaying 

marriage and childbearing, which likely contributes to 

the increase in the volunteering rate among mid-life 

adults. Since 1976, births to women under age 30 have 

been declining, while births to women over age 30 

have been increasing (for example, the rate of births 

among women ages 35 to 39 and 40 to 44 have almost 

doubled between 1976 and 2004).21 

Our analysis of the volunteering data supports the 

contention that shifts in the timing of marriage 

and child-rearing helps to explain the increase in 

volunteering among 45 to 64 year-olds. While we are 

unable to report on the parental status of respondents 

to the 1974 survey, we are able to look at changes 

from 1989 to 2005. Between 1989 and 2005, the rate 

of adults 45 to 64 years old with children younger than 

18 years of age in their household rose by 73 percent. 

During this period, there was also a 52 percent 

increase in volunteering by adults between ages 45 and 

64 with children under the age of 18. 

The rise in the volunteering rate among mid-life adults 

is further explained by the changes in the types of 

organizations with which they choose to serve. Over 

the last 15 years, we see that volunteers between the 

ages of 45 to 54 who serve with educational and 

youth service organizations doubled, while adults 55 

to 64 years old nearly doubled their volunteering with 

education organizations. This shift further indicates 

that these adults are engaging in their communities 

through the activities of their school-age children.

Older Adults

One of the most notable changes in volunteering 

came from adults age 65 and over. The volunteer rate 

for these older Americans increased by 64 percent 

between 1974 and 2005 (from 14.3% in 1974 to 23.5% in 

2005, see Figure 6), while the proportion of volunteers 

who serve 100 hours or more per year increased by 

46 percent. No other age group has seen large increases 

for both of these volunteer statistics. Why have the 

volunteering rate and the percentage of adults who 

volunteer 100 or more hours a year become more 

popular among people over age 64? We advance 

several explanations for this increase: generational 

changes; connections between health and volunteering; 

and improved education and income levels. 

 

A number of studies have indicated that the Long 

Civic Generation (born between 1910 and 1930), were 

unique in their high degree of engagement in civic 

affairs.22 These studies showed that members of this 

group—sometimes called the Greatest Generation—

were more likely than previous generations to 

volunteer once they turned 65. Today, the youngest 

members of this generation are now 75 years old, 

and due to health concerns, their contributions to 

1974 1989 2005

0

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

Figure 5: Volunteer Rate for Mid-Life Adults (ages 45 to 64)

(1974 to 2005) 35%

Year

 Volunteer Rate


while the volunteer rate for seniors in the top income 

quartile has increased by 93 percent. Shifts in education 

levels and wealth among older Americans may have 

also led to increased recruitment by nonprofits, as they 

recognized the rising potential for volunteering among 

older adults. 

Episodic Volunteering

While volunteering rates appear to be at a 30-year high 

today, the last 15 years also suggest some change in how 

people volunteer. According to our findings, episodic 

volunteering (serving 99 or fewer volunteer hours in 

a year) has increased since 1989. While our analysis 

indicates that the proportion of episodic volunteers 

increased for all adults age 25 and over in the last 15 

years,29 the overall increase in episodic volunteering 

since 1989 is largely driven by adults ages 45 to 64 and 

teenagers. These two groups have the largest increase 

in the sheer number of volunteers serving 99 or fewer 

hours a year. The critical role that time constraints have 

on the potential for people to volunteer may help to 

explain the reason why episodic volunteering became 

more common between 1989 and 2005. 30

Around the same time as the term “episodic 

volunteer” was coined,31 a 1989 survey showed that 

79 percent of non-volunteers said that they would 

volunteer if given a short-duration task.32 While 

recent events, such as the tragedy of September 11, 

2001 and Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, may encourage 

more Americans to serve those in need, a renewal of 

civic engagement may be challenged by the need to 

fulfill other obligations. Current trends suggest many 

of America’s charities and volunteer associations 

may have taken this reality to heart and made shorter, 

more flexible volunteering opportunities available 

to “episodic volunteers”—those who are willing to 

volunteer, but cannot or will not serve as a regular, 

ongoing volunteer throughout the year. To foster 

greater volunteer growth, it will likely be important 

to remain sensitive to the time constraints and other 

responsibilities that individuals and families face, 

particularly baby boomers and teenagers. 

volunteering have understandably declined. Yet, the 

volunteer rate among older Americans continues to 

grow, suggesting that the next generation of older 

volunteers, the group called the Silent Generation 

(born 1931 to 1945), who were young children during 

the Great Depression and World War II and fought 

the Korean War, is poised to meet the standard the 

prior generation has set.

While life expectancy in America has increased by 7.1 

years since 1970, the position that older Americans are 

healthier today than they ever have been is more difficult 

to establish with certitude. In 2002, we found that 

poor health was the most common reason that older 

Americans did not volunteer. Yet, research also suggests 

that volunteering improves physical23 and mental 

health,24 and may even lengthen life expectancy.25

As researcher John Wilson notes, “Good health is 

preserved by volunteering; it keeps healthy volunteers 

healthy”—this may be particularly true for seniors.26

Many people also note that today’s older adults have 

even more resources to bring to volunteering than their 

predecessors did. Similar to what we found among 

those volunteers between 45 and 64 years old, increases 

in volunteering among older adults may be explained, in 

part, by increases in both education and income. The 

proportion of adults age 65 and older without a high 

school diploma has dropped almost 40 percentage 

points since 1974, and older Americans with college 

degrees are also volunteering at a higher rate than in the 

past.27 Improvement in income levels28 may also help 

to explain increases in the rates of volunteering among 

older Americans, as the portion of seniors in the bottom 

income quartile for all adults has declined by 17 percent, 

1974 1989 2005

0

Figure 6: Volunteer Rate for Older Adults (ages 65 and over)

(1974 to 2005)

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

Year

 Volunteer Rate
VOLUNTEER GROWTH IN AMERICA



CONCLUSION

Our analysis of volunteering behavior among 

American adults over the last 30 years indicates 

that there has been a real increase in volunteering 

since 1974. While there was a decline in the volunteer 

rate between 1974 and 1989, the 2005 data indicate 

that volunteering rates are at a 30-year high. Much 

of the improvement in volunteering behavior since 

1974 seems to be driven by increases in volunteering 

among three age groups: teens 16 to 19 years old; 

adults 45 to 64 years old; and adults 65 years old and over. 

Hosts of studies and indicators suggest that young 

people are initiating a renewal in civic and political 

participation that may manifest in increased rates 

of volunteering. At the same time, schools are 

offering service and service-learning opportunities in 

record numbers. While today’s teens may engage in 

volunteering patterns that differ somewhat from their 

parents and grandparents, the fact that the rate of 

volunteering among young people has doubled since 

1989 suggests a major shift in the perception 

of volunteering among America’s youth. 

Mid-life adults today, composed primarily of Baby 

Boomers, have also increased their involvement 

in volunteering over previous generations. The 

reasons for this change are complex and varied but 

two possibilities stand out: adults 45 to 64 years old 

are much more likely to be college educated in 2005 

than they were in 1974 or 1989; and adults 45 to 64 

years old are more likely to have children under age 

18 in the home today. Meanwhile, older adults (age 

65 and over) have increased both their volunteering 

rates and volunteer hours over the last 30 years. The 

increased volunteering among older Americans appears 

to be the result of a commitment to service that crosses 

generations. While the Greatest Generation has formed 

a core of older volunteers, the next generation of older 

Americans is proving to be just as civically engaged. 

Moreover, these older adults are also living longer today 

than in the past. Indeed, there is evidence to suggest 

that volunteering itself may increase the health and 

longevity of older individuals. Moreover, these older 

adults have more resources to engage in volunteering, as 

they are better educated and more financially secure than 

in the past. 

Finally, the percentage of episodic volunteers 

increased after 1989 along with a very substantial rise 

in the volunteer rate. There does appear to be some 

relationship between trends in episodic volunteering and 

the overall volunteer rate. Episodic volunteering may 

provide opportunities for individuals who are not able 

to commit extended time to volunteering, but still wish 

to serve. 

This report is the first in a series of research briefs 

that examine historical trends in volunteering. By 

highlighting emerging volunteer trends, we hope to 

better understand how to encourage more adults 

to volunteer. This research brief indicates several 

useful findings. First, the data highlights the current 

and potential contributions that young people, Baby 

Boomers, and older adults can make in building our 

nation’s culture of service. Second, the findings 

provide some strategic insights into how to recruit 

more volunteers based on where they happen to be 

in life. For example, volunteering efforts that might 

require substantial investments in time are best aimed 

at older adults, especially those over 65 years old. 

On the other hand, the findings indicate that more 

teenagers and young adults can be connected to 

service opportunities through episodic and shortterm volunteer opportunities33. Finally, because 

of shifts in marriage and childbearing behavior, 

there may be an increased opportunity to recruit 

mid-life adults, most of whom are currently Baby 

Boomers, into volunteering aimed at the needs of 

school-aged children.
ENDNOTES

1 Citation from Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in 

America, Trans Henry Reeve, London: Wordsworth 

Editions Ltd, 1998.

2 We analyzed CPS data from 1974, 1989, and 2005. 2005 

is an aggregate of 2003-2005 data. From this point on, the 

aggregate 2003-2005 data will be referred to as 2005. 

3 The Volunteering in America series includes: 

Volunteering in America: State Trends and Rankings (2006), 

which is the first report with detailed information 

about adult volunteering by state; College Students 

Helping America (2006), which identifies trends in 

college student volunteering; and the Youth Helping 

America Series (2005), which analyzes teenager 

volunteering through school and school-based 

service-learning projects, religious congregations, 

and community associations, as well as volunteering 

experiences with their family. 

4 The 2002 data include volunteering activities from 

September 2001 to September 2002, thus capturing 

volunteering that occurred in the year immediately 

after the September 11 attacks. 2005 results do 

not include volunteering activities that might have 

occurred since Hurricane Katrina. The 1989 and 2002-

2005 surveys ask individuals not only if they volunteer, 

but also where they volunteer, how they volunteer, and 

how often they volunteer. The 1974 survey does ask 

some volunteers where they volunteer, and how often 

they volunteer—but only about volunteering they did 

during the week the survey was administered. 

5 The 1974 survey did not ask all respondents what 

organization they volunteered with. Therefore, we are 

not able to compare 1974 to other years.

6 The difference in the proportion of teenager 

volunteers serving with a religious organization between 

1989 and 2005 is not statistically significant.

7 For the data collected in 1974, we found no 

statistical difference in the percentage of volunteers 

serving 100+ hours a year for adults 20 years of age 

and over. Stated another way, the margin of errors for 

the percentage of volunteers giving 100+ hours for all 

of the age groups (adults 20 to 24 years old, 25 to 34, 

years old, 35 to 44 years old, 45 to 54 years old, 55 to 

64 years old, and 65 years and older) all overlapped, 

meaning that the statistical difference between all these 

age groups was equal to zero.

8 The categories environmental, animal care, public 

safety, and not determined were not available to 1989 

respondents and are excluded from the table. The 

“other” category is also excluded

9 Robert D. Putnam (2000). Bowling Alone: The Collapse 

and Revival of American Community. New York: Simon 

and Schuster.

10 Compiled by Gerhard Peters from data obtained from the 

Federal Election Commission, see the American Presidency at 

http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/index.php See also 

U.S. Census, Voting and Registration, Detailed Tables, 

http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/

voting.html.

11 See Boris, Elizabeth T. (2006). Organizations in a 

Democracy: Varied Roles and Responsibilities. In E.T. 

Boris & C.E. Steuerle (eds.), Nonprofits and Government: 

Collaboration and Conflict (pp. 1-35). Washington, DC: 

Urban Institute Press. 

12 See HERI. “American Freshman: National Norms 

for Fall 2005” can be found at http://www.gseis.ucla.

edu/heri/PDFs/ResearchBrief05.PDF

13 See Research Reports at www.nationalservice.gov.

14 See Monitoring the Future study results in National 

Conference on Citizenship. America’s Civic Health 

Index: Broken Engagement. 2006, 9.

15 See Rebecca Skinner and Chris Chapman.; 

“Service-learning and Community Service in K-12 

public schools.” National Center for Education Statistics: 

Statistics in Brief. 1999. Available for downloading 

at http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.

asp?pubid=1999043.

16 See HERI. “American Freshman.” 

10
VOLUNTEER GROWTH IN AMERICA

11

17 Mark Hugo Lopez, et al.; “The Youth Vote 

2004.” Center for Information & Research on Civic 

Learning and Engagement. July 2005.

18 A decline in volunteering among mid-life 

Americans between 1974 and 1989 means that 

volunteering among middle age Americans actually 

increased by 37% between 1989 and today.

19 See Wilson, John (2000), “Volunteering,” Annual 

Review Sociology. 2000. 26:215-40.

20 See Wilson, Volunteering.

21 See U.S. Census Bureau, Table H1. Childless and 

Births per 1000 Women in the Last Year: Selected 

Years 1978-2004. Available at http://www.census.

gov/population/socdemo/fertility/tabH1.xls. 

22 See Putnam. Bowling Alone.

23 See Doug Oman E. Thoresen and Kay 

McMahon. “Volunteerism and Mortality among 

Community-Dwelling Elderly.” Journal of Sociology. 

1992. 97(6), 1612-1638.

24 See Marc A. Musick and John Wilson. 

“Volunteering and Depression: The Role of 

Psychological and Social Resources in Different Age 

Groups.” Social Science & Medicine. 2003. 56(2), 259-

269; and John Judith A. Wheeler, Kevin M. Gorey 

and Bernard Greenblatt. “The Beneficial Effects of 

Volunteering for Older Adults and the People They 

Serve: A Meta-Analysis.” International Journal of Aging 

and Human Development. 1998. 47(1), 69-80.

25 See Richard G. Rogers. “The Effects of Family 

Composition, Health, and Social Support Linkages 

on Mortality.” Journal of Health and Social Behavior.

1996. 37(4), 326-338; and Marc A. Musick, A. 

Regula Herzog and James S. House. “Volunteering 

and Mortality among Older Adults: Findings from a 

National Sample.” Journal of Gerontology, 1999. 54(3), 

S173-S180.

26 See Wilson, Volunteering.

27 See Wilson, Volunteering.

28 See Wilson, Volunteering.

29 The increase for groups under 24 was statistically 

equivalent to zero.

30 We should note that there were actually more 

people volunteering 99 or fewer hours a year in 1974 

than 2005 but that is partly due to the fact that older 

Americans are much more likely to volunteer 100+ 

hours today. 

31 Nancy Macduff. Episodic Volunteering: Building the 

Short-term Volunteer Program. Walla Walla, WA: MBA 

Publishing. 1991. 

32 Nancy Macduff. (2005). Societal Changes and the 

Rise of the Episodic Volunteer. Jeff L. Brudney (ed.), 

Emerging Areas of Volunteering. Indianapolis, IN: 

Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations 

and Voluntary Action, 2005, 49-62.

33 This reality also seems to be supported Steven M. 

Farmer, and Donald B. Fedor. “Changing the Focus 

on Volunteering: An Investigation of Volunteers’ 

Multiple Contributions to a Charitable Organization.” 

Journal of Management. 2001. 27 (2), 191-211. They 

conclude their study with some practical advice for 

nonprofits interested in recruiting volunteers: “...pay 

close attention to the needs of your volunteers, and 

make a wide variety of volunteer assignments available 

to keep volunteers willing and able to serve your 

ogranizations.”


Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the following staff at the Corporation for National and Community Service for their valuable 

contributions to this report: Sandy Scott, Peter Shifter, Norris West, Mike Berning, Shannon Maynard, Kevin Cramer, Lillian 

Dote, Shelby Jennings, Carla Manuel, Kimberly Spring, and LaMonica Shelton who were helpful in shaping the final direction 

of the report, and reviewed drafts. We are also grateful for our partnership with the U.S. Census Bureau and the Bureau 

of Labor Statistics. Finally, we thank the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University for supporting David Reingold and 

Rebecca Nesbit’s work preparing the 1974 CPS data file.

The Office of Research & Policy Development

The Office of Research & Policy Development (RPD) is part of the CEO’s Office within the Corporation for 

National and Community Service. RPD’s mission is to develop and cultivate knowledge that will enhance the 

mission of the Corporation and of volunteer and community service programs. 

Related Research Reports on Volunteering

College Students Helping America. October 2006. Identifies key trends in volunteering among college students 

ages 16 to 24, looks at the demographics and select civic behaviors of college students who volunteer, discusses

future implications for volunteering given the changing college environment, and provides state rankings for 

volunteering among college students. 

Volunteering in America: State Trends and Rankings. June 2006. Presents a national, regional, and state-by-state analysis 

of volunteering trends. 

Volunteers Mentoring Youth: Implications for Closing the Mentoring Gap. May 2006. Provides a greater understanding of the 

characteristics and traits that distinguish individuals whose volunteering includes mentoring youth from volunteers 

who do not mentor. 

Youth Helping America Series. Educating for Active Citizens: Service-Learning, School-Based Service, and Youth Civic Engagement. 

March 2006. Takes a closer look at participation in school-based service among middle school and high school aged 

youth, paying particular attention to the relationship between different service-learning experiences and civic attitudes 

and outcomes. 

Youth Helping America Series. Building Active Citizens: The Role of Social Institutions in Teen Volunteering. November 2005. 

Explores the state of youth volunteering and the connections between youth volunteering and the primary social 

institutions to which teenagers are exposed – family, schools, and religious congregations. 

To read or download our reports, visit www.nationalservice.gov
VOLUNTEER GROWTH IN AMERICA



Corporation for National and Community Service

1201 New York Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20525

Tel.: (202) 606-5000

TTY: (202) 606-3472

e-mail: info@cns.gov

www.nationalservice.gov