Volunteering in Northern Ireland Research Report 2016 is released
Date published:
An Official Statistics report entitled “Volunteering in Northern Ireland Research Report 2016” was published today by DSD.
The Volunteering in Northern Ireland Research Report has been published annually since 2014 by the Analytical Services Unit of the Department for Social Development. This report contains statistics on volunteering in Northern Ireland. The main themes explored in the survey include levels of volunteering, support for volunteers and reasons for not undertaking volunteering roles.
Key facts include:
- just under a third (32%) of respondents indicated that they had carried out voluntary work within the past year
- of those who had volunteered in the previous year, 43% had carried out a fundraising activity, 33% had volunteered for a church or religious organisation and 32% of respondents indicated that they had organised or helped to run a community event
- the most common methods of identifying volunteering roles were from someone already involved in the organisation (43%), by word of mouth (38%), and through a church or religious organisation (32%)
- around two fifths (41%) of respondents who had volunteered in the previous year indicated that a police or Access NI check was carried out
- more than three quarters of respondents (80%) stated that their efforts are recognised/appreciated by the organisation for which they volunteer
- the top three reasons for not volunteering were, ‘I have work commitments’ (35%), ‘I don’t have the time’ (34%) and ‘I have to look after children/the home’ (20%)
Notes to editors:
- The Volunteering in Northern Ireland Research Report is produced each year by the Analytical Services Unit of the Department for Social Development. The primary data used for this purpose was derived from a series of questions that were included within the Northern Ireland Omnibus survey. The questions were included within the Omnibus for the first time in autumn 2013 and were repeated in autumn 2014
- For the purposes of this report, the Respondents were asked to consider the following definition of volunteering in their responses:
Volunteering is defined as “the commitment of time and energy, for the benefit of society and the community, the environment, or individuals outside (or in addition to) one’s immediate family. It is unpaid and undertaken freely and by choice.”
Respondents were advised that their replies should only refer only to unpaid work or activities - View the report
- Hard copies are available from the Analytical Services Unit, Department for Social Development, Level One, James House, 2 Cromac Avenue, Gasworks Business Park, Ormeau Road, Belfast, BT7 2JA; Telephone - (028) 9081 9286; E-mail asu@dsdni.gov.uk
- Further enquiries should be addressed to:
Analytical Services Unit, Level 1, James house, Gasworks Business Park,
Ormeau Road, Belfast,
BT7 2JA
Telephone 02890 819942
Email asu@dsdni.go.uk - All media queries should be directed to the Department for Social Development Press Office on 028 9082 9496 or email press.office@dsdni.gov.uk. Out of office hours please contact the duty press officer via pager number 07699 715 440 and your call will be returned.