Key findings from Time Well Spent 2023

Over the past four years the world has seen unprecedented change. While in many ways people have returned to a pre-pandemic life, the repercussions of lockdown continue to impact communities.

The cost of living crisis and external events like the Russian invasion of Ukraine have added to these issues. We’ve seen widening inequalities and deepening societal need for some of the most marginalised groups.

What does this mean for volunteering? Here we offer a preview of our ground-breaking Time Well Spent 2023 report, which reveals how much volunteering has transformed over recent years.

Time Well Spent is NCVO’s research programme focusing on volunteers and their experience.

In 2018 we conducted a national survey of over 10,000 members of the UK general public. The survey was conducted through YouGov and explored:

• volunteer participation
• motivations and barriers to volunteering
• the quality of volunteers' experiences
• the impact of volunteering.

At the end of 2022 we ran this survey again with 7,000 members of the public. We analysed the data and compared it to what we observed in 2018.

Here are some of our key findings so far.

The impact of the ongoing crises can be clearly seen in recent data.

The latest Community Life Survey found the proportion of the UK population who had volunteered at least once a month in 2021/22 was 16%. This was down from about 23% in 2019/20, reflecting the impact of the covid-19 pandemic. Volunteer participation has not fully recovered since then.

While it’s difficult to compare an overall level, our survey data saw a drop in some key volunteering activities, reflecting the impact of the pandemic on certain volunteering activities.

• Those raising money or taking part in sponsored events (down from 11% to 6%).
• Those organising or helping to run an activity (down from 14% to 7%).
• Those campaigning on behalf of the group, club or organisation (down from 8% to 4%).

Additionally, among recent volunteers, the overall likelihood to continue volunteering declined slightly from 80% in 2018 to 77% in 2022.

Most people said less time due to changes in circumstances is the main reason they’re stopping. Being unhappy with the way their volunteering group is managed and organised is much less common (10%).

This data suggests we need more focus on retaining volunteers, as well as recruiting them.

The vast majority of volunteers have a positive experience.

Among those who had volunteered in the last 12 months through a group, club or organisation (focusing on the one they gave the most help to), 92% say that they are either very or fairly satisfied with their experience.

They also report a range of positive impacts on their lives.

However, compared to the previous data, overall satisfaction levels have decreased slightly. In 2018, 96% of volunteers said they were very or fairly satisfied with their experience.

Our analysis suggests several contributing factors.

• Volunteers are now more likely to think their volunteering is becoming too much like paid work (up from 19% in 2018 to 26% in 2022).
• More volunteers felt their volunteering group or organisation had unreasonable expectations of how much they did (17% in 2018 compared to 24% in 2022).
• There was an increase in public sector volunteers since 2018, who are less likely to be satisfied with their experience compared with third sector volunteers (87% very or fairly satisfied vs 94%).

Since 2020, the voluntary sector has been working to improve diversity issues in its workforce. However, our data shows equity, diversity and inclusion continue to be a challenge in volunteering.

Fewer volunteers say that their volunteering group is diverse. In 2018, 73% of volunteers said there were people from a wide range of backgrounds and cultures in their group. In 2022 this has dropped to 66%. We'll share further analysis of the experience of black, Asian and minority ethnic groups in the coming months.

As in 2018, younger volunteers in our new data continue to be less satisfied overall. 82% of 18–24-year-olds said they’re satisfied compared with 96% of those aged 55+.

It’s not enough just to improve overall volunteer participation. This data highlights volunteering opportunities also need to be inclusive and meet the needs of a diverse range of people.

Technology has played an increasingly important role in volunteering since 2020. Volunteering online or over the phone is now the third most common place to volunteer. 31% of those who volunteered in the last 12 months did at least some of it online or over the phone.

In 2022, we see remote volunteering hasn’t impacted volunteer satisfaction. Volunteer satisfaction is equal among those who did their volunteering only by phone or online and those who didn’t do any volunteering in these ways (both 92% satisfied).

During covid, organisations quickly adapted to make sure virtual volunteering was safe and rewarding. These results are testament to their hard work.

In both 2018 and 2022 we found the top motivation for volunteering was wanting to improve things or help people. Recent volunteers also say making a difference is the key reason they’re likely to continue.

It’s important to remember this core motivation when recruiting volunteers. That, and simply asking the question. Around 1 in 5 (19%) people who hadn’t volunteered in the last 12 months said it was because they’ve never been asked.

The practical aspects of volunteering shouldn’t be underestimated. This is especially true given the cost of living crisis and changing expectations around flexibility.

The issue of expenses is particularly notable.

• 14% of those who haven’t volunteered through a group, club or organisation in the last 12 months are worried about out-of-pocket expenses (up from 9% in 2018). This figure was higher among 18-24-year-olds (20%).
• Only 55% of volunteers say their volunteer group, club or organisation would reimburse their expenses if they wanted them to. 16% don’t know if they would.

This indicates organisations need to do more to ease concerns about volunteering expenses, particularly if they want to attract younger volunteers.

As well as the financial impact of volunteering, time is also an important factor. Among those who had considered volunteering in the last 12 months, the most common barriers were:

• thinking it involved more time than they could commit (21%)
• it wasn’t flexible (14%)
• the opportunities didn’t matching their skills, interests or experience (14%).

However, experiences of flexible volunteering are largely positive. For example, 82% of those who do volunteer report their organisation is flexible with the time given.

Offering more flexible volunteering opportunities, such as virtual volunteering, could help attract new volunteers. For those already volunteering, continued support will be key, particularly given the burnout and fatigue seen during the pandemic.

Volunteer-involving organisations have adapted significantly to the profound changes in our society over the last few years. This latest data shows there is so much to celebrate, and even more to continue working on.

Making volunteering more accessible is a core objective of Vision for Volunteering – an exciting new project we’re working on with a range of partners.

The full Time Well Spent report with more detail on these findings will be launched in June.

Book your place at our launch event on 27 June

Notes:

• All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+). The figures presented from the online survey have been analysed independently by NCVO.
• 2018 survey: Total sample size was 10,103 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 4 May and 15 May 2018. 2022 survey: Total sample size was 7,006 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 23 November and 6 December 2022.
• It should be noted that while we have sought to replicate the methodology and sample, it is only possible to draw reasonable comparisons between the two because of methodological and sample limitations. In particular. relating to the participation data.
• Whilst ‘volunteering’ is used throughout the report, in the survey respondents were not asked if they had volunteered. Instead, they were asked about whether they had given unpaid help to anyone who is not a relative, and if so whether through a group, club or organisation.
• The 2023 Time Well Spent research has been part-funded by the Department for Culture, Media, and Sport.