4440.0.55.001 - Volunteers in Sport, Australia, 2010  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 27/03/2012  Final
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Contents >> Volunteers and the community >> Involvement of parents in voluntary work and community activities undertaken as a child

INVOLVEMENT OF PARENTS IN VOLUNTARY WORK AND COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES UNDERTAKEN AS A CHILD

These items were included in the General Social Survey (GSS) to explore the idea that volunteering is something that may be related to family and childhood experiences.

Around 46% (4.0 million) of the population aged 18 years and over who had at least one parent who had volunteered, were volunteers themselves. These 4.0 million volunteers who had parents who had done voluntary work also represented two thirds (66%) of the 6.1 million total volunteers. While the proportion of sport and physical recreation organisation volunteers who had parents who had done voluntary work was higher (70% or 1.6 million), there was not enough evidence to support whether this difference was statistically significant. Similarly, there was not enough evidence to identify whether age was a contributing factor.

6.1 Sport and Physical Recreation and Other Volunteers, By whether at least one parent participated in voluntary work
Parent(s) has done voluntary work
Total people
Total sport & physical recreation organisation(s)
Other organisation(s) only
Total volunteers
Total sport & physical recreation organisation(s)
Other organisation(s) only
Total volunteers
Volunteers ('000)
18-24 years
124.7
316.6
441.3
184.3
409.4
593.7
25-34 years
253.3
424.7
678.1
330.2
598.1
928.3
35-44 years
449.1
452.6
901.7
614.2
683.4
1 297.6
45-54 years
426.4
429.6
856.1
608.2
703.3
1 311.5
55 years and over
323.5
797.3
1 120.8
530.9
1 422.3
1 953.2
Total
1 577.0
2 420.9
3 997.9
2 267.7
3 816.5
6 084.2
Volunteers (%)
18-24 years
7.9
13.1
11.0
8.1
10.7
9.8
25-34 years
16.1
17.5
17.0
14.6
15.7
15.3
35-44 years
28.5
18.7
22.6
27.1
17.9
21.3
45-54 years
27.0
17.7
21.4
26.8
18.4
21.6
55 years and over
20.5
32.9
28.0
23.4
37.3
32.1
Total
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0


In 2010, 51% of those who were active in student government organisations as a child were volunteers, compared with 39% of those who participated in organised team sport. In comparison, over 15% of people who did not undertake any of the defined activities as a child were volunteers in 2010.

Over ninety percent (93% or 2.1 million) of sport and physical recreation organisation volunteers participated in organised sport as a child. For those more active in group activities as a child, the level of volunteering in sport and physical recreation organisation activities as an adult was higher. Interestingly 85% of people who reported no active participation in the selected group activities as a child did not volunteer as an adult.

6.2 Sport and Physical Recreation and Other Volunteers, By type of participation in group activities as child(a)
Sport & physical recreation organisation(s) only
Sport & physical recreation and other organisation(s)
Total sport & physical recreation organisation(s)
Other organisation(s) only
Total volunteers
Not a volunteer
Total persons aged 18 years & over
Volunteers ('000)
Organised team sport
991.9
1 121.3
2 113.3
2 987.2
5 100.5
7 893.1
12 993.6
Arts/culture related activities
375.2
694.4
1 069.6
2 152.4
3 222.0
4 149.0
7 371.1
Youth group
543.1
816.8
1 359.9
2 312.0
3 671.9
4 810.3
8 482.2
Did some kind of volunteer work
367.1
682.6
1 049.7
1 584.9
2 634.6
2 905.9
5 540.5
Raised money door-to-door or in public place for a cause or organisation
570.4
730.5
1 300.9
1 732.7
3 033.6
3 566.0
6 599.6
Active in student government
*84.3
215.9
300.2
525.0
825.2
795.3
1 620.6
Active in a religious organisation
208.2
467.9
676.1
1 493.7
2 169.8
2 420.4
4 590.3
None of these as child
*10.7
*10.7
*21.3
190.0
211.3
1 171.2
1 382.5
Total(b)
1 054.2
1 213.6
2 267.7
3 816.5
6 084.2
10 703.9
16 788.2
Volunteer rate (%)
Organised team sport
7.6
8.6
16.3
23.0
39.3
60.7
100.0
Arts/culture related activities
5.1
9.4
14.5
29.2
43.7
56.3
100.0
Youth group
6.4
9.6
16.0
27.3
43.3
56.7
100.0
Did some kind of volunteer work
6.6
12.3
18.9
28.6
47.6
52.4
100.0
Raised money door-to-door or in public place for a cause or organisation
8.6
11.1
19.7
26.3
46.0
54.0
100.0
Active in student government
*5.2
13.3
18.5
32.4
50.9
49.1
100.0
Active in a religious organisation
4.5
10.2
14.7
32.5
47.3
52.7
100.0
None of these as child
*0.8
*0.8
*1.5
13.7
15.3
84.7
100.0
Total(b)
6.3
7.2
13.5
22.7
36.2
63.8
100.0
* estimate has a relative standard error of 25% to 50% and should be used with caution
(a) Persons may have been involved in more than one type of activity as a child.
(b) Components may not add to totals as some persons may have been involved as a volunteer in more than one organisation.








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