Abstract
This study examines the implications of online associational involvement for informal volunteering. The analysis of the 2017 Volunteering and Civic Life Supplement of the Current Population Survey shows that people who split their time between online and in-person associational activities are more likely to volunteer informally than those who are involved online only. The results also reveal that people who are involved 100% in-person are more likely to volunteer informally every day while they are not more likely to participate in low or moderate levels of informal volunteering than others. These findings suggest that online associational involvement is not mere slacktivism but has positive implications for informal volunteering if people continue to participate in-person as well.
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Data Availability
United States. Bureau of the Census, United States Department of Labor. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and Corporation for National and Community Service. Current Population Survey, September 2017: Volunteering and Civic Life Supplement. Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2019-05-20. https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR37303.v2.
Notes
The results of a Brant test of the parallel regression assumption for all independent variables are provided in Appendix 2. The test results indicate that several variables do not meet the parallel regression assumption.
A person can be a member of an association without participating in any activities. Inactive membership is a form of associational involvement (Baumgartner & Walker, 1988).
See Appendix 3 for more details.
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Appendices
Appendix 1: Tests of the Parallel Regression Assumption
Test | chi2 | df | p > Chi2 |
|---|---|---|---|
Wolfe Gould | 247.1 | 72 | 0.000 |
Brant | 259 | 72 | 0.000 |
Score | 253.9 | 72 | 0.000 |
Likelihood ratio | 243.8 | 72 | 0.000 |
Wald | 263 | 72 | 0.000 |
Appendix 2: Brant Test of Parallel Regression Assumption
chi2 | p > chi2 | df | |
|---|---|---|---|
Not active | 5.25 | 0.263 | 72 |
Online and in-person mix | 3.52 | 0.474 | 4 |
All in-person | 7.29 | 0.121 | 4 |
Volunteer hours | 30.53 | 0.000 | 4 |
Metropolitan residence | 4.74 | 0.315 | 4 |
Female | 6.10 | 0.192 | 4 |
No child under 18 | 0.19 | 0.996 | 4 |
Non-white | 3.95 | 0.413 | 4 |
In labor force | 3.81 | 0.433 | 4 |
Bachelor’s degree/higher | 12.36 | 0.015 | 4 |
Age | 27.38 | 0.000 | 4 |
Age2 | 27.03 | 0.000 | 4 |
HH income 35–75K | 8.21 | 0.084 | 4 |
HH income 75–150K | 11.56 | 0.021 | 4 |
HH income more than 150K | 7.76 | 0.101 | 4 |
Midwest | 4.43 | 0.351 | 4 |
South | 10.29 | 0.036 | 4 |
West | 22.40 | 0.000 | 4 |
Appendix 3: Generalized Ordered Logistic Regression with Associational Involvement as Dependent Variables (all online, online and in-person mix, and all in-person) and Informal Volunteering as Independent Variables (N = 11,476)
1 | 2 | |
|---|---|---|
Less than once a month | 0.313*** (0.062) | 0.313*** (0.062) |
Once a month | 0.295*** (0.066) | 0.295*** (0.066) |
A few times a month | 0.375*** (0.068) | 0.375*** (0.068) |
A few times a week | 0.209** (0.090) | 0.209*** (0.090) |
Basically every day | − 0.028 (0.130) | − 0.028 (0.130) |
Volunteer hours | 0.001*** (0.000) | − 0.004*** (0.001) |
Metropolitan residence | 0.288*** (0.062) | 0.288*** (0.062) |
Female | 0.110** (0.045) | 0.110** (0.045) |
No child under 18 | 0.119** (0.056) | − 0.176** (0.136) |
Non-white | − 0.361*** (0.070) | − 0.361*** (0.070) |
In labor force | 0.161*** (0.057) | 0.161*** (0.057) |
Bachelor’s degree/higher | 0.656*** (0.049) | 0.285*** (0.143) |
Age | 0.019** (0.009) | 0.019** (0.009) |
Age2 | 0.000*** (0.000) | 0.000*** (0.000) |
HH income 35–75K | 0.069 (0.072) | 0.069 (0.072) |
HH income 75–150K | 0.208*** (0.073) | 0.208*** (0.073) |
HH income more than 150K | 0.418*** (0.081) | 0.418*** (0.081) |
Midwest | − 0.027 (0.070) | − 0.027 (0.070) |
South | 0.039 (0.068) | 0.039 (0.068) |
West | 0.185*** (0.070) | 0.185*** (0.070) |
Constant | − 1.480*** (0.213) | − 4.120 (0.256) |
Appendix 4: Marginal Effects
All online | Online and in-person mix | All in-person | |
|---|---|---|---|
Less than once a month | − 0.071*** (0.014) | 0.063*** (0.012) | 0.009*** (0.002) |
Once a month | − 0.067*** (0.015) | 0.059*** (0.013) | 0.008*** (0.002) |
A few times a month | − 0.086*** (0.015) | 0.075*** (0.014) | 0.010*** (0.002) |
A few times a week | − 0.048** (0.020 | 0.042** (0.018) | 0.006** (0.002) |
Basically every day | 0.006 (0.030) | − 0.006 (0.026) | − 0.001 (0.004) |
Volunteer hours | 0.000*** (0.000) | 0.000*** (0.000) | 0.000*** (0.000) |
Metropolitan residence | − 0.066*** (0.014) | 0.058*** (0.012) | 0.008*** (0.002) |
Female | − 0.025** (0.010) | 0.022** (0.009) | 0.003** (0.001) |
No child under 18 | − 0.027** (0.013) | 0.032** (0.012) | − 0.005 (0.004) |
Non-white | 0.082*** (0.016) | − 0.073*** (0.014) | − 0.010*** (0.002) |
In labor force | − 0.037*** (0.013) | 0.032*** (0.011) | 0.004*** (0.002) |
Bachelor’s degree/higher | − 0.150*** (0.011) | 0.142*** (0.011) | 0.008** (0.004) |
Age | − 0.004** (0.002) | 0.004** (0.002) | 0.001** (0.000) |
Age2 | 0.000*** (0.000) | 0.000*** (0.000) | 0.000*** (0.000) |
HH income 35–75K | − 0.016 (0.017) | 0.014 (0.015) | 0.002 (0.002) |
HH income 75–150K | − 0.047*** (0.017) | 0.042*** (0.015) | 0.006*** (0.002) |
HH income more than 150K | − 0.095*** (0.018) | 0.084*** (0.016) | 0.011*** (0.002) |
Midwest | 0.006 (0.016) | − 0.005 (0.014) | − 0.001 (0.002) |
South | − 0.009 (0.015) | 0.008 (0.014) | 0.001 (0.002) |
West | − 0.042*** (0.016) | 0.037*** (0.014) | 0.005*** (0.002) |
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Lee, Yj. Online Versus In-Person Associational Involvement and Informal Volunteering. Voluntas (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11266-023-00616-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11266-023-00616-5