Has Volunteering Changed in the United States? Trends, Styles, and Motivations in Historical Perspective

Abstract

This article considers whether there have been substantial changes in volunteering in the United States. Drawing on an extensive review of historical, ethnographic, and survey data, it focuses on trends, styles, and motivations of volunteers. The article describes how volunteer rates are cyclical and contingent on social and cultural changes, including events that serve as national traumas, such as wars, natural disasters, and the 9/11 attacks. Many features of volunteering have been consistent over time, but there have been some notable changes, including greater participation by the young and the old and a sharp decline in volunteer rates for people lacking a college education. Volunteers continue to be influenced by humanitarian and altruistic motives, and a desire to give back to organizations that benefit friends and family has become more prominent.