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Title:
National Survey of Voluntary Activity, 1997

Subject Categories:
Charities, voluntary organisations and voluntary work - Social welfare policy and systems

Depositor(s):
BMRB International

Principal Investigator(s):
National Centre for Volunteering
BMRB International

Data Collector(s):
BMRB International

Sponsor(s):
Department of National Heritage. Voluntary and Community Division
Charities Aid Foundation

Other Acknowledgements:
The Volunteer Centre, later the National Centre for Volunteering, has now been renamed the Institute for Volunteering Research. Further information and links to publications covering the National Surveys of Voluntary Activity may be found on the Institute's web site.

Abstract:
The aims of this survey series are to ascertain :
the proportion of the population who are involved in voluntary activity in the UK;
the type of people most likely to volunteer;
the types of activities in which volunteers are engaged;
the motivations for volunteering;
the benefits and drawbacks of voluntary work.

The 1997 survey was carried out by BMRB International on behalf of the National Centre for Volunteering (formerly the Volunteer Centre). The need to compare trends in voluntary activity over time required that the survey was to a large extent a repeat of the previous surveys conducted by SCPR in 1981 and 1991, although some new topics were covered.

A research project was carried out by the National Centre for Social Research in partnership with the Institute for Volunteering Research in 2006/7, as a follow-up to the Citizenship Survey, 2005. The resulting study, the National Survey of Volunteering and Charitable Giving, 2006-2007, is held at the UKDA under SN 5793.

Main Topics:
The survey covered the following subjects :
working status; voluntary activity connected with work; marital status, disabilities and caring responsibilities; formal volunteering; organisation or group helped most, and most in past year (current and previous volunteers); barriers to volunteering and attitudes of irregular or former volunteers; informal volunteering; attitudes towards voluntary workers, and our society's attitudes towards them; receipt of voluntary help; donations.

Users should note, a few variables on the questionnaire are not included in the dataset if they were used to create derived variables. There are many derived variables included (particularly in Section 4 of the questionnaire). Comparison of the topline and the questionnaire of the technical report is recommended for Section 4.

Coverage:
Dates of Fieldwork: 2 June 1997-27 July 1997
Country: United Kingdom
Spatial Units: Standard Regions
Observation Units: Individuals
Kind of Data: Numeric data; Individual (micro) level

Universe Sampled:
Location of Units of Observation:National
Population:Adults aged 18 and over in the United Kingdom.

Methodology:
Time Dimensions: Cross-sectional (one-time) study
so far, the study has been conducted in 1981 (not held at the Data Archive), 1991 and 1997.
Sampling Procedures: Multi-stage stratified random sample
Number of Units: (A) 3276 (target) Issued sample
(B) 1534 (obtained) See technical report for weighting factors
Method of Data Collection: Face-to-face interview; CAPI was used.

Language(s) of Written Materials:
Study Description: English
Study Documentation: English

Access:
Access Conditions: The depositor has specified that registration is required and standard conditions of use apply. The depositor may be informed about usage. See terms and conditions for further information.
Availability: ESDS Access and Preservation, UK Data Archive
Contact: Help desk: help@esds.ac.uk

Date of Release:
First Edition: 31 March 1999

Copyright:
Copyright National Centre for Volunteering

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