Voluntary and Community Activities: Findings From the 2000 British Crime Survey

• NCJ Number: 191255
• Author(s): Anita Krishnamurthy; Duncan Prime; Meta Zimmeck
• Date Published: 2001
• Length: 7 pages
• Sale Source: Great Britain Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Survey
• Language: English
• Country: United Kingdom
• Note: Home Office Findings 142

Annotation

This report presents findings from the 2000 British Crime Survey (BCS) regarding respondents' volunteer and community activities.

Abstract

The BCS is a national survey of people aged 16 and over who live in a representative cross-section of private households in England and Wales. It asks people about crimes they have experienced in the previous year and about various other crime-related topics. Also included are questions about respondents' volunteer and community activities. Responses to these questions are the focus of this report. A total of 56 percent of respondents participated about once a month or more often in at least one of the six types of volunteer and community activities explored in the survey. The six activities were helping people directly, attending groups, helping groups or organizations, serving in a public capacity, attending public meetings, and working with other people to address local issues. A greater proportion of women than men participated in helping people directly and helping groups or organizations about once a month or more often, but a smaller proportion of women than men participated in helping people directly less than once a month. In the categories of helping people directly, attending groups, and helping groups or organizations, participation was generally low among youth, increased to a peak among people in mid-life, and decreased thereafter among older people. White people participated to a greater extent in helping people directly than did Black and Asian people. Black and Asian respondents were involved to a greater extent than white people in attending groups. People living in rural areas were more involved in helping people directly, attending groups, and helping groups or organizations about once a month or more often than people living in inner city and mining/industrial areas. The longer people lived at their current addresses and in their local areas, the greater the propensity to become involved in helping people directly and attending groups about once a month or more often. 6 figures