Young people volunteering in rural areas

Volunteering is considered to be of great importance for social cohesion, the sustainable strengthening of democracy and the provision of public services. This is particularly true in rural areas, where volunteering provides cultural and leisure activities, economic, social and charitable services, and fire protection and where there are generally few opportunities for civic participation. And although more young people in Germany are getting involved than ever before, and most of this involvement is within associations, clubs in rural areas are increasingly complaining about a lack of new recruits. The research project JIVE (Jung im Verein und engagiert. Voluntary cultures of young people in rural areas and the role of associations) aimed to analyse engagement-related factors such as the image of engagement or associations. In a regionally representative quantitative online survey (3.000 interviews), young people (aged 16 to 25) were asked about (1) the type and extent of their involvement, (2) their attitudes towards involvement and (3) their expectations of associations and policy-makers. The results show that young respondents are mainly involved in sport and exercise, culture and music, school and kindergarten, and religion/church, with sport and exercise and accident/emergency services/fire brigade being significantly more represented in rural areas than in non-rural areas. In terms of activities, the majority of volunteers are involved in a field-specific activity, but there are also many practical support and organisational activities. Volunteering among young people shows clear social inequalities in terms of education and social class. In addition, traditional role patterns still seem to be more prevalent. Young people's attitudes towards volunteering are predominantly positive. Volunteering is attractive because it promises social prestige and recognition. However, there is a strong distinction between areas of involvement, with a significant proportion of respondents believing that involvement in politics, church & religious community and refugee aid can have a negative impact on their own social standing. In general, young people are demotivated by rigid structures, a lack of flexibility on the part of associations and, above all, a lack of social recognition on the part of association boards and the general public.