Do Religion and Spirituality Make a Contribution to the Public Good? The Association of Religion and Spirituality with Volunteering

Abstract

Involvement in religious communities has long been associated with a variety of contributions to the public good such as volunteering. However, the patterns of religiosity are complex in Australia, with many indicating ‘no religion’ and with a changing balance in the proportions attending Evangelical and Pentecostal churches compared with the mainstream churches. Approximately one quarter of the adult population describes themselves as ‘spiritual but not religious’. Based on a national survey conducted in 2016, the hours of volunteering among these diverse religious groups in the Australian community was examined. Overall, it was found that religious attenders contributed more than non-attenders to the public good through volunteering and that Evangelicals and Pentecostals contributed most, albeit doing much of their volunteering through their own religious organisations. It was found that much volunteering in religious organisations is conducted for the public good rather than for the religious organisations themselves.