Share user conference 2015 what are the benefits of volunteering for volunteers

What are the benefits of volunteering for volunteers?

5th SHARE User ConferenceNovember 13, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg

The project

Impact of the Third Sector as Social Innovation Funded by the European Commission Coordinated by Universität Heidelberg (Prof.

Helmut Anheier) 9 countries

Our team

Prof. René Bekkers Arjen de Wit Dave Verkaik Danique Karamat Ali

The questions

Does volunteering keep you healthy? (reviews by Brown & Brown 2015, Bekkers, Konrath

& Smith, 2014, Jenkinson et al. 2013) Does volunteering keep you happy?

– (Aknin et al. 2013, Meier & Stutzer 2008) Does volunteering prevent you from

unemployment? And prevent you from retiring? (Paine et al. 2013, Strauss 2009)

How to estimate the benefits of volunteering?

Estimates on cross-sectional data includes both selection and causation

We cannot randomly assign people to be a volunteer or not

Changes in volunteering and changes in outcome variables

The data

Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), 2004-2011

German Socio-Economic Panel (GSOEP), 1984-2011

Giving in the Netherlands Panel Survey (GINPS), 2002-2014

Longitudinal Aging Survey Amsterdam (LASA), 1993-2006

Swiss Household Panel (SHP), 1999-2013

British Household Panel Survey (BHPS) / Understanding Society (US), 1996-2012

The data

Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), 2004-2011

German Socio-Economic Panel (GSOEP), 1984-2011

Giving in the Netherlands Panel Survey (GINPS), 2002-2014

Longitudinal Aging Survey Amsterdam (LASA), 1993-2006

Swiss Household Panel (SHP), 1999-2013

British Household Panel Survey (BHPS) / Understanding Society (US), 1996-2012

Today's special: only people aged 50+ in all datasets

Volunteers are healthier

SHARE0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

Non-volunteersVolunteers

Across Europe...

Volunteers are healthier

SHARE DE GSOEP0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

Non-volunteersVolunteers

...in Germany...

Volunteers are healthier

...in The Netherlands...

SHARE NL GINPS LASA0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

0.8

Non-volunteersVolunteers

Volunteers are healthier

...and in Switzerland.

SHARE CH SHP0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

0.8

Non-volunteersVolunteers

Volunteers are happier

Across Europe...

SHARE0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

0.8

0.9

Non-volunteersVolunteers

Volunteers are happier

...in Germany...

SHARE DE GSOEP0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

0.8

0.9

Non-volunteersVolunteers

Volunteers are happier

...and in Switzerland.SHARE CH SHP

0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

0.8

0.9

1

Non-volunteersVolunteers

How about volunteering and employment status?

How about volunteering and employment status?

No job Job Retired0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Non-volunteersVolunteers

SHARE

Across Europe...

How about volunteering and employment status?

No job Job Retired0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Non-volunteersVolunteers

No job Job Retired0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70GSOEP

...in Germany...

SHARE DE

How about volunteering and employment status?

No job Job Retired0

10

20

30

40

50

No job Job Retired0

10

20

30

40

50

Non-volunteersVolunteers

...in The Netherlands...

SHARE NL GINPS

How about volunteering and employment status?

No job Job Retired0

10

20

30

40

50

60

No job Job Retired0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Non-volunteersVolunteers

...and in Switzerland.

SHARE CH SHP

Selection or causation?

Selection or causation?

Hypothetical example of the development of well-being as a result of causal influences of volunteering

Selection or causation?

Hypothetical example of the development of well-being as a result of both causative influences of volunteering and selection processes

Changes in self-reported health status

SHARE

-0.05

-0.03

-0.01

0.01

0.03

0.05

Remain volunteering Quit volunteeringStart volunteering

**

***

Across Europe...

Changes in self-reported health status

-0.05

-0.03

-0.01

0.01

0.03

0.05

Remain volunteeringQuit volunteeringStart volunteering

-0.05

-0.03

-0.01

0.01

0.03

0.05

Remain volunteeringQuit volunteeringStart volunteering

SHARE DE GSOEP

...in Germany...

-0.05

-0.03

-0.01

0.01

0.03

0.05

Remain volunteeringQuit volunteeringStart volunteering

-0.05

-0.03

-0.01

0.01

0.03

0.05

Remain volunteeringQuit volunteeringStart volunteering

Changes in self-reported health status

LASA GINPS

...in The Netherlands...

-0.05

-0.03

-0.01

0.01

0.03

0.05

Remain volunteeringQuit volunteeringStart volunteering

SHARE NL

***

**

Changes in self-reported health status

SHARE CH SHP

...and in Switzerland.

-0.05

-0.03

-0.01

0.01

0.03

0.05

Remain volunteeringQuit volunteeringStart volunteering

-0.05

-0.03

-0.01

0.01

0.03

0.05

Remain volunteeringQuit volunteeringStart volunteering

******

*

Changes in subjective well-being

SHARE

Across Europe...

-0.05

-0.03

-0.01

0.01

0.03

0.05

Remain volunteering Quit volunteeringStart volunteering

***

***

*

-0.05

-0.03

-0.01

0.01

0.03

0.05

Remain volunteeringQuit volunteeringStart volunteering

Changes in subjective well-being

SHARE DE

...in Germany...

-0.05

-0.03

-0.01

0.01

0.03

0.05

Remain volunteeringQuit volunteeringStart volunteering

GSOEP

-0.05

-0.03

-0.01

0.01

0.03

0.05

Remain volunteeringQuit volunteeringStart volunteering

Changes in subjective well-being

SHARE CH

...and in Switzerland.

SHP

-0.05

-0.03

-0.01

0.01

0.03

0.05

Remain volunteeringQuit volunteeringStart volunteering

Changes in employment status

Changes in employment status

SHARE

Across Europe...

Into retirementInto unemployment

Into employment-0.1

0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

Remain volunteeringQuit volunteeringStart volunteering

***

***

***

*

SHARE

-1

-0.5

0

0.5

1

1.5

Remain volunteeringQuit volunteeringStart volunteering

Changes in employment status

SHARE DE

...in Germany...

GSOEP

-1

-0.5

0

0.5

1

1.5

Remain volunteeringQuit volunteeringStart volunteering

***

***

***

******

*

Into retirementInto unemployment

Into employment

-1

-0.5

0

0.5

1

1.5

Remain volunteeringQuit volunteeringStart volunteering

-1

-0.5

0

0.5

1

Remain volunteeringQuit volunteeringStart volunteering

Changes in employment status

SHARE NL

...in The Netherlands...

GINPS

Into retirementInto unemployment

Into employment

***

***

***

******

***

***

-0.4

-0.2

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

Remain volunteeringQuit volunteeringStart volunteering

-0.4

-0.2

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

Remain volunteeringQuit volunteeringStart volunteering

Changes in employment status

SHARE CH

...and in Switzerland.

SHP

Into retirementInto unemployment

Into employment

***

*** **

***

Conclusions

Only moderate effects on self-reported health and subjective well-being

Starting to volunteer goes together with retiring SHARE data generally show substitution between

voluntary work and paid work Most variance can be attributed to selection

Limitations

Different surveys have different questions, survey modes, sampling etc.

Not a perfect measure of causality

Next steps

Look at variation between volunteers Examine explanatory mechanisms Compare different estimation techniques (fixed-

effects/first-difference, propensity score matching, instrumental variables)

Pool all data

Next steps

Look at variation between volunteers Examine explanatory mechanisms Compare different estimation techniques (fixed-

effects/first-difference, propensity score matching, instrumental variables)

Pool all data

→ mega-analysis

Thank you.

Report “Welfare impacts of participation”available at www.itssoin.eu

Arjen de Wit@arjen_dewita.de.wit@vu.nl