“Charity Begins at Home”: Informal Caring Barriers to Formal Volunteering Among Older People
Formal volunteering is an important economic and social activity. In many countries, prevalence of volunteering is decreasing overall, including among older people who constitute a major volunteering resource. This qualitative study explored reasons for non-volunteering among seniors, with a focus o...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Journal Article |
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Springer
2018
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| Online Access: | http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/DP140100365 http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/69807 |
| _version_ | 1848762139445035008 |
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| author | Pettigrew, Simone Jongenelis, Michelle Jackson, B. Newton, R. |
| author_facet | Pettigrew, Simone Jongenelis, Michelle Jackson, B. Newton, R. |
| author_sort | Pettigrew, Simone |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Formal volunteering is an important economic and social activity. In many countries, prevalence of volunteering is decreasing overall, including among older people who constitute a major volunteering resource. This qualitative study explored reasons for non-volunteering among seniors, with a focus on those who attribute their non-volunteering to their existing helping commitments. Forty-nine Australian interviewees aged 60 + years described a range of social, psychological, and temporal factors that resulted in their prioritization of informal rather than formal volunteering activities. These factors are mapped onto a theoretical framework matrix, with social identity and social capital theories appearing to possess the most explanatory power. The findings suggest that programs designed to encourage formal volunteering among older people need to be implemented in a manner that recognizes that members of this group can hold many other responsibilities that limit their ability to participate, especially those assisting in the care of multiple generations. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T10:42:49Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-69807 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T10:42:49Z |
| publishDate | 2018 |
| publisher | Springer |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-698072022-10-12T02:48:53Z “Charity Begins at Home”: Informal Caring Barriers to Formal Volunteering Among Older People Pettigrew, Simone Jongenelis, Michelle Jackson, B. Newton, R. Formal volunteering is an important economic and social activity. In many countries, prevalence of volunteering is decreasing overall, including among older people who constitute a major volunteering resource. This qualitative study explored reasons for non-volunteering among seniors, with a focus on those who attribute their non-volunteering to their existing helping commitments. Forty-nine Australian interviewees aged 60 + years described a range of social, psychological, and temporal factors that resulted in their prioritization of informal rather than formal volunteering activities. These factors are mapped onto a theoretical framework matrix, with social identity and social capital theories appearing to possess the most explanatory power. The findings suggest that programs designed to encourage formal volunteering among older people need to be implemented in a manner that recognizes that members of this group can hold many other responsibilities that limit their ability to participate, especially those assisting in the care of multiple generations. 2018 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/69807 10.1007/s11266-018-0017-8 http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/DP140100365 Springer fulltext |
| spellingShingle | Pettigrew, Simone Jongenelis, Michelle Jackson, B. Newton, R. “Charity Begins at Home”: Informal Caring Barriers to Formal Volunteering Among Older People |
| title | “Charity Begins at Home”: Informal Caring Barriers to Formal Volunteering Among Older People |
| title_full | “Charity Begins at Home”: Informal Caring Barriers to Formal Volunteering Among Older People |
| title_fullStr | “Charity Begins at Home”: Informal Caring Barriers to Formal Volunteering Among Older People |
| title_full_unstemmed | “Charity Begins at Home”: Informal Caring Barriers to Formal Volunteering Among Older People |
| title_short | “Charity Begins at Home”: Informal Caring Barriers to Formal Volunteering Among Older People |
| title_sort | “charity begins at home”: informal caring barriers to formal volunteering among older people |
| url | http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/DP140100365 http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/69807 |