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The civic core is the part of the population that is responsible for a disproportionately large partof civic participation. This paper shows how the level of activity and the composition of the civiccore have changed in the Netherlands between 1997 and 2009 using data from the Giving in theNetherlands Survey. The results show that - despite ongoing secularization - the civic core in theNetherlands is increasingly religious. At the same time, the prevalence of higher educatedindividuals in the civic core has diminished. Engagement in charitable giving is increasinglyrelated to engagement in volunteering. In sum, the increasing concentration of activity in thecivic core is especially visible among religious persons and volunteers.
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Religion and the Civic Core
in the Netherlands René Bekkers
Center for Philanthropic Studies
VU University Amsterdam
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• Religious people do more of the total giving and volunteering in the United States, Canada, the Netherlands and Flanders.
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Religion in the Netherlands
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Giving in the Netherlands
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• Civic participation tends to be concentrated among a small group that does most of the giving and volunteering.
• Reed & Selbee (2001, NVSQ) call this group the ‘civic core’.
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• You can think of giving and volunteering as a natural phenomenon with a certain level of concentration.
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Like firebugs.
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• Firebugs tend to cling together.• In my own front garden I find them
especially on dry and sunny places.• Churches are like the sunny rocks in
my garden – a fertile environment for donors and volunteers.
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This is not what the bugs do.
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They concentrate -
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Into a core.
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So, why?
• Why is religious affiliation and activity associated with giving and volunteering?
• What is it in religion that makes people care about society as a whole?
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Popular dichotomies
• Conviction and community (Wuthnow, 1991)
• Intrinsic religious motivation (Cnaan et al., 1993) vs. associational ties (Jackson et al, 1995)
• Norms and networks (Ruiter & De Graaf, 2006)
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Volunteering and Giving
• Volunteering and charitable giving are two types of contributions to society
• They are both indicators of social capital, governed by similar principles
• With Pamala Wiepking I recently summarized the literature on charitable giving in a review article for Voluntary Sector Review (November 2011 issue).
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• In this formulation, religion is viewed as an external force that influences people.
• From religious communities, people ‘get’ their networks and convictions.
• Religious beliefs and prosocial values may vary from person to person.
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So, why?
• Why is religious affiliation and activity associated with giving and volunteering?
• What is it in religion that makes people care about society as a whole?
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So, why?
• Why is religious affiliation and activity associated with giving and volunteering?
• What is it in people that makes them care about religion and society as a whole?
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A stone in the pond…
• Going back to the firebugs, I wonder why bugs like sunny rocks.
• Why do donors and volunteers love going to church?
• Church attendance involves exposure to requests for contributions.
• For those who dislike contributing and/or being asked to do so, the church is not a fun place to be.
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Endogeneity
• Religion is increasingly a matter of choice.
• People with personalities and value systems that conflict with the church in which they were ‘born’ will leave.
• Social influence in religious communities is also to some extent the influence group members allow.
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-
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Back on track: so what?
• This talk is mainly about how the concentration of giving and volunteering among religious groups in the Netherlands has changed over time.
• This is important because religion disappears from Dutch society.
• Will giving and volunteering decline along with secularization?
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Not…
• …if those who are ‘left behind’ in churches become more active citizens. this would lead to a higher level of concentration of giving and volunteering among the religious.
• …if another factor gains importance, such as education – but I am saving that for another occasion.
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The data
• All the ‘Giving in the Netherlands’ survey data that we have gathered biennially since 1997. Total n=9,696.
• The data are treated as separate cross-sections and then pooled into one file.
• Amounts are adjusted for inflation.
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Total giving by religion
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Religious giving
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Secular giving by religion
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Top quintile, 2009
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Doing their share?
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Growing inequality in secular giving over time
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Volunteer hours top quintile
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Increasing concentration
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Proportion of volunteers by total giving quintile
Amounts donated by non-volunteers
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Amounts donated by volunteers
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Household giving: no-yes
Catholic 1.403*** 1.438***
Protestant 1.757*** 1.751***
Survey wave 1.116***
Catholic * wave 1.038***
Protestant * wave 0.985
Secondary education 1.166*** 1.191***
Tertiary education 1.618*** 1.673***
Secondary * wave 0.915***
Tertiary * wave 0.916***
Church attendance (4 categories) 1.180*** 1.182***
Attendance * wave 0.997
n 9,696 9,696
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Odds ratios in logistic egression of household giving, also including age (model 1) and age * wave (model 2),
Amount donated in €
Catholic -109*** -111***
Protestant 216*** 215***
Survey wave 14***
Catholic * wave 7***
Protestant * wave 3
Secondary education 51*** 71***
Tertiary education 160*** 185***
Secondary * wave -17***
Tertiary * wave -21***
Church attendance (4 categories) 125*** 124***
Attendance * wave 2***
n 7,857 7,857
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Odds ratios in logistic egression of household giving, also including age (model 1) and age * wave (model 2),
Volunteering: no-yes
Catholic 1.142** 1.146**
Protestant 1.723*** 1.709***
Survey wave 1.045***
Catholic * wave 0.999
Protestant * wave 1.025
Secondary education 1.190*** 1.245***
Tertiary education 1.613*** 1.695***
Secondary * wave 0.958***
Tertiary * wave 0.963***
Church attendance (4 categories) 1.333*** 1.326***
Attendance * wave 1.017***
n 9,030 9,030
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Odds ratios in logistic egression of household giving, also including age (model 1) and age * wave (model 2),
Amount donated in € (logs, donors only)
Catholic -.063 -.097 -.098
Protestant .841*** .744*** .688***
Survey wave .111*** .106*** .085***
Secondary education .707*** .585*** .554***
Tertiary education 1.393*** 1.278*** 1.237***
Volunteering .389*** .235*** .159
Volunteering * wave .067*** .059*** .046***
Social responsibility .384*** .357***
Altruistic values .628*** .582***
Asked to volunteer .108* .058
Number of solicitations .214*** .161***
Requests * wave .015*
n 5,983 5,983 5,983
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Odds ratios in OLS regressions of log of total amount donated, also including age , age * wave, education * wave, religion * wave
Secular amount donated in € (logs, donors only)
Catholic -.063 -.259*** -.296***
Protestant .283*** .098 -.064
Survey wave -.026*** .114*** .085***
Secondary education -.025 .585*** .522***
Tertiary education .554*** 1.278*** 1.304***
Volunteering .375*** .132
Volunteering * wave .054** .031
Social responsibility .357***
Altruistic values .643***
Asked to volunteer .057
Number of solicitations .165***
Requests * wave .018**
n 5,983 5,983 5,983
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Odds ratios in OLS regressions of log of total amount donated, also including age , age * wave, education * wave, religion * wave
Additional results
• Concentration of giving among the elderly is due to their stronger religiosity.
• No significant changes in relationships with hours volunteered among volunteers.
• No changes in relationships of prosocial values with giving.
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Additional results
• Similar denominational differences in helping behavior as in volunteering.
• Helping is positively related to volunteering, both secular and religious.
• The relationship between secular volunteering and church attendance has become stronger over time.
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Conclusions
• The civic core is increasingly religious.
• The civic core is becoming less highly educated.
• The civic core becomes increasingly concentrated: volunteering and giving increasingly go together.
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Concentrating from
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To this core.
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A grim future?
• How can we create new forms of cohesion in society that bring people together?
• Creating opportunities to contribute time and money in groups with positive norms: sunny rocks
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Something else
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Contact
• ‘Giving in the Netherlands’, Center for Philanthropic Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences, VU University Amsterdam: www.geveninnederland.nl
• René Bekkers, [email protected]• Blog: renebekkers.wordpress.com• Twitter: @renebekkers
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