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Examining the Relationship Between Resources and the Likelihood to Participate in Formal Volunteering in Post-apartheid South Africa

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Abstract

We examine the relationship between likelihood to volunteer and a range of human capital, social capital, religious capital and ubuntu variables in South Africa seven years after the official end of apartheid. Using the 2001 World Values Survey we find that education is positively associated with volunteering, but employment has a negative association with volunteering when including controls for wealth and income. Religiosity has a strong positive association with volunteering and a broad base, cutting across the socio-economic and racial divides. This suggest that religious congregations in collaboration with other sectors could be a vehicle to increase access to volunteer opportunities for those who lack the status to take part in other volunteering activities.

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Fig. 1

Source: WVSA (2001)

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Schumann Gebou Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa

    Dineo Seabe & Ronelle Burger

Authors
  1. Dineo Seabe
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  2. Ronelle Burger
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Correspondence to Dineo Seabe.

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Appendix: Variable Distribution

Appendix: Variable Distribution

Variable

Mean

SD

Min

Max

Volunteering

0.51

0.49

0

1

Black

0.73

0.45

0

1

Colored

0.10

0.30

0

1

Indian

0.03

0.18

0

1

White

0.14

0.35

0

1

Age

33.03

13.53

1

69

Children

1.66

1.67

0

6

Married

0.47

0.50

0

1

Female

0.48

0.50

0

1

Upper class

0.03

0.18

0

1

Middle class

0.37

0.48

0

1

Working class

0.29

0.45

0

1

Lower class

0.25

0.43

0

1

No school

0.03

0.17

0

1

Less than matric

0.52

0.50

0

1

Matric

0.28

0.45

0

1

Post matric

0.16

0.37

0

1

Health status

3.16

0.89

1

4

Employed

0.42

0.49

0

1

Income1: "Up to R2999"

0.59

0.49

0

1

Income2: "R3000–R5999"

0.33

0.74

0

2

Income3: "R6000–R8999"

0.15

0.66

0

3

Income4: "R9000–R11999"

0.12

0.69

0

4

Income5: "R12000–R15999"

0.20

0.97

0

5

Income6: "R16000–R20000<"

0.17

1.00

0

6

Time with friends

2.27

0.94

0

3

Time with family

2.48

0.82

0

3

Time with colleagues

1.27

1.29

0

3

Who do you do not want as neighbors

0.29

0.31

0

1

Generalized trust

0.12

0.32

0

1

Civic mindedness

0.61

0.54

0

2

Sharing

0.28

0.45

0

1

Serving others

2.38

0.75

0

3

Importance of God

9.10

1.74

1

10

Church attendance

4.71

1.94

0

6

Frequency of prayer

3.70

2.04

0

6

Religious

0.78

0.42

0

1

Not religious

0.17

0.38

0

1

Atheist

0.03

0.17

0

1

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Seabe, D., Burger, R. Examining the Relationship Between Resources and the Likelihood to Participate in Formal Volunteering in Post-apartheid South Africa. Voluntas 33, 149–161 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11266-021-00341-x

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