Volunteer Opportunities
The Volunteer Opportunities factor assesses the desire of aging adults to participate in volunteer work, and potential barriers to volunteer opportunities that may exist for those who want to volunteer but can’t.
Indicators:
34% of adults aged 60 and older volunteer. When we look at the data by age, race, and income, we see higher percentages of adults aged 60-74, the White population, and mid and high-income groups volunteering compared to adults aged 75 and older, African Americans, and low-income groups, respectively.
66% of adults aged 60 and older are not volunteering. Of that, 19% would like to be doing volunteer work. The most commonly cited barriers to volunteering include health reasons, lack of time, lack of transportation, and not knowing where to volunteer.
When asked why people are less likely to volunteer, participants of the community conversations cited these reasons:
- Afraid to leave home / didn’t want to go out / safety concern
- Transportation issues
- Lack of awareness of opportunities available
- Improved marketing needed
- Volunteer matching
- Not wanting to commit to a volunteer schedule
