Is Volunteering for Everybody? A comparative study of volunteering between the European population and immigrants, in terms of socialisation, employment, civic engagement and gender.

Abstract

Many studies have been done on immigrant integration and much research has focused on volunteering and the motivation for it, but few have looked at the links between them, let alone compared the two. It is in this context that the following research question is addressed: To what extent does the volunteering behaviour of immigrants in Europe differ from that of the general population? This problem was addressed through a mixed method approach. On the one hand, the quantitative part uses the ESS round 1, concerning the volunteering behaviour of the European population. On the other hand, qualitative interviews were conducted to understand in depth what volunteers earn from their activities. The quantitative results of the logistic regression show that the volunteering behaviour of immigrants does not differ from that of the general population. In general, having a job, a greater social capital, being politically engaged and being women are drivers for volunteering. The qualitative section emphasizesthe importance of social contacts, learning soft skills and building self-confidence. The recommendations are addressed to the non-profit volunteering organisation Serve the City Amsterdam. The recommendations are addressed to the non-profit volunteering organisation Serve the City Amsterdam and suggest promoting volunteering among the female immigrant population, which could be based on the learning part of volunteering. In addition, the organisation advises contacting politicians to encourage them to participate in volunteering and to strengthen their sense of community.