Volunteering and satisfaction . How much be good makes feel good ? Eleonora Meli Istat

1. Volunteering and satisfaction. How much be goodmakesfeelgood? Eleonora Meli Istat Silvia Montecolle Istat Firenze,02 December2017

2. Volunteering and well-being During last yearsinterest on themesaboutwell-being, life quality, and broadly on happinesshasgrown up, in a cross-disciplinary way. Traditional objective indicators of well-being are inadequate to outline a complex and varied concept. Subjective and relational qualities of well-being are consolidated and the resources and potentials of each individual are important. Broadly, the focus on the subjective nature of wellness supports the idea that people can be well-liked even in unfavorable circumstances such as illness or economic disease. Subjective well-being, according to one of the most well-known formulations, consists of two main components [Diener, Oishi and Lucas 2009; 2015], affective and cognitive. Affective component refers to the emotions and moods that constitute the individual reaction to the stimulating situations that change in everyday life. Volunteering makespeoplefeelbetter? Analysis of Subjective well-being linked to volunteering. Mostusedwords in publishedabstracts from1974 to 2007on Social Indicators Research review.

3. Volunteering and well-being Cognitive aspect of subjective well-being could be translated in satisfaction. Satisfaction is a different and distinct dimension from the affective one. It concerns a global evaluation of own life, but also specific areas, such as: family, social relationships, job and leisure or volunteering activities. It is a judgement. It quantifies satisfaction’s levels. Broadly judgement requires a cognitive effort, that is strictly linked with the real circumstance people are living. Nevertheless this process, used to express a score, don’t jeopardize these judgments. Furthermore judgments expressed on specific fields of satisfaction are heavy, based on well-founded information. These judgements are easier to express because people recognize the relevance of this fields for their life.

4. Istat’squestionnaire: subjectivewell-being Cognitive component of subjectivewell-being can be analyzedusingquestionsincluded in «Daily life aspects» survey in 2013.

5. Interpretative aims • Are volunteers more satisfiedthan non volunteers? • Is there a difference in the levels of subjective wellbeing among volunteers affiliated to groups/associations and whose carries out voluntary activities in an unorganized form? • Is the persistence of engagement in volunteering activities (long/short duration) a factor in strengthening individual wellbeing or is it a factor of overcrowding? • Do some organized volunteering sectors influence levels of subjective wellbeing more than others, or is the volunteering itself to increase life satisfaction? • Does belonging to more than one group or association add or subtract well-being to volunteers?

6. Interpretative aims • Are volunteers more satisfiedthan non volunteers? • Is there a difference in the levels of subjective wellbeing among volunteers affiliated to groups/associations and whose carries out voluntary activities in an unorganized form? • Is the persistence of engagement in volunteering activities (long/short duration) a factor in strengthening individual wellbeing or is it a factor of overcrowding? • Do some organized volunteering sectors influence levels of subjective wellbeing more than others, or is the volunteering itself to increase life satisfaction? • Does belonging to more than one group or association add or subtract well-being to volunteers?

7. Volunteers vs non volunteers People aged 14 and over for life satisfaction score and participation in volunteering (percentages)

8. Volunteers vs non volunteers Volunteers are more satisfied than non volunteers. Analyzing the relationship between overall life satisfaction and volunteering, it seems that those who are engaged express higher scores. Considering the average score for the different respondent groups, it reaches the lowest value (6.7) among non volunteers, while it is higher among volunteers who are not affiliated with a group or an association (7.0), and even higher among those in organized form (7.3). The distribution of individuals by expressed score confirms how the proportion of people expressing the highest scores of satisfaction (8 to 10) is greater among those who are volunteers than among those who are not. Volunteers both through groups / associations and on their own in the analysis are included in the group “Through groups / associations”.

9. Volunteers vs non volunteers People aged 14 and over satisfied about economic situation, health, family relationships, social relationships and free time by volunteering (percentages). With regard to the different areas of life, volunteers declare the highest levels of satisfaction. The difference emerges in all considered areas: health, economic, leisure, familiar and friendship relationship, but it seems particularly significant in this latter area. Here the greater subjective well-being is expressed by organized volunteers, who enjoy, for the conduct of their volunteering activities, an additional relationship infrastructure than those who provide them on an individual basis.

10. Volunteers vs non volunteers Odds ratio, logistic regression model Geographical area of residence Gender Age class Title of study Professional condition Satisfaction for areas Religious Participation Propensity to Optimism * Considering these conditions, it turns out that volunteering has an effect on the propensity to express high scores of satisfaction, but there is no difference between those who practice it in organized or unorganized form. * In the survey “Daily Life Aspects”, there is the question: 'Do you think that your personal situation over the next five years will improve, worsen or remain the same?', Which can be considered an indicator of the propensity to optimism.

11. Volunteers vs non volunteers People aged 14 and over life satisfaction score and age classes (percentages)

12. Volunteers vs non volunteers People aged 14 and over for life satisfaction score and volunteering by age classes (percentages) Examining individuals in different phases of life, younger people (14-34 years) express the greater proportion of those who indicate a high score of satisfaction; albeit among organized volunteers, the greater proportion of those who are very satisfied is over 65 (50.4%). Elderly group involved in volunteering are, probably, selected for socio-cultural characteristics and for health status.

13. Volunteers vs non volunteers People aged 14 and over for satisfaction in friendshiprelationship, volunteering and classage (percentage).

14. Volunteers vs non volunteers Analyzing some specific areas of life, the youngest (14-34 years old) are the most satisfied with all the domains considered, especially if they are part of a group / association.Albeit, considering the areas of life that in the third age tend to suffer a qualitative deterioration, such as friendship relations and leisure, it is noted that greater satisfaction among volunteers compared to non-volunteers, older people who are not engaged in voluntary activities are the least satisfied, while among adults and older volunteers the share of the very satisfied is growing considerably, and among the elderly particularly in the organized form. Analogue findings for leisure: young people are, in all conditions, the most satisfied and adults, under all conditions, the least satisfied, there is a marked difference among the elderly between the volunteers and the non-volunteers. Among organized volunteers people65 and over assign higher score, even higher than young people.

15. Years of activity • Are volunteers more satisfiedthan non volunteers? • Is there a difference in the levels of subjective wellbeing among volunteers affiliated to groups/associations and whose carries out voluntary activities in an unorganized form? • Is the persistence of engagement in volunteering activities (long/short duration) a factor in strengthening individual wellbeing or is it a factor of overcrowding? • Do some organized volunteering sectors influence levels of subjective wellbeing more than others, or is the volunteering itself to increase life satisfaction? • Does belonging to more than one group or association add or subtract well-being to volunteers?

16. Years of activity Volunteers for years of activity and life satisfaction score

17. Years of activity Highest satisfaction scores for volunteers for at least ten years. Long lasting (at least ten years) volunteers (organized and not) express positive scores. Two groups can be distinguished among the most satisfied individuals: those who have recently entered (46.6%), and to a greater extent the group of the veterans, that is, of those who are active for at least ten years (49.6%). Comparing organized volunteers and not and years of activity, the largest percentage of satisfied people is among the organized ones (respectively 48.8% and 51.3% vs. 43.1% and 44.6% of the unorganized volunteers). Volunteers more satisfied are those involved from a short time (less than two years) - so at an early stage in whose motivation to commit is solid and expectations are reinforced [Marta and Scabini 2003] – or, on the other hand, from a long time (more than ten years) - when, long-term commitment is stabilized, it is the same feeling of well-being to act from support to continue and sustain active engagement [Thoits and Hewitt 2001].

18. Sector of activity • Are volunteers more satisfiedthan non volunteers? • Is there a difference in the levels of subjective wellbeing among volunteers affiliated to groups/associations and whose carries out voluntary activities in an unorganized form? • Is the persistence of engagement in volunteering activities (long/short duration) a factor in strengthening individual wellbeing or is it a factor of overcrowding? • Do some organized volunteering sectors influence levels of subjective wellbeing more than others, or is the volunteering itself to increase life satisfaction? • Does belonging to more than one group or association add or subtract well-being to volunteers?

19. Sector of activity Volunteers by sector of activity and life satisfaction score

20. Sector of activity Sector of activity doesn’t matter.Activity of organized volunteers (recreational and sports activities, health, social care and civil protection, environment, politics, trade unions and protection of rights, cooperation, economic development, philanthropy and religion) does not affect the propensity to express a score between 8 and 10 for subjective satisfaction. Volunteering is a free choice and therefore allows volunteers to express their own interests and passions in the context they prefer. The hypothesis that, amongst organized volunteers, well-being depends on the sector of activity is not confirmed  Sector of activity seems do not have effect on subjective satisfaction. Organized volunteers, by sector of activity, do not show any significant differences in the expressed satisfaction scores, with the exception of the group of volunteers working in the "politics, trade union and rights protection" sector, which are more shifted towards lower (0-5) and middle (6-7) scores. This group has a greater share of people who indicate a vote of satisfaction for their lives between 0 and 5 (16% compared to 10,7%), this may be due to the fact that legal action and protection of rights, most often other voluntary activities, do not achieve the desired goal, creating a greater sense of injustice and less satisfaction. [KlareKasser 2009].

21. Memberships • Are volunteers more satisfiedthan non volunteers? • Is there a difference in the levels of subjective wellbeing among volunteers affiliated to groups/associations and whose carries out voluntary activities in an unorganized form? • Is the persistence of engagement in volunteering activities (long/short duration) a factor in strengthening individual wellbeing or is it a factor of overcrowding? • Do some organized volunteering sectors influence levels of subjective wellbeing more than others, or is the volunteering itself to increase life satisfaction? • Does belonging to more than one group or association add or subtract well-being to volunteers?

22. Membership Belong to one or more groups or associations can increase or reduce life satisfaction. Analysis shows that those involved in more than one group / association express higher scores of satisfaction: multi-affiliation seems to be a mild strengthening of individual well-being. Volunteers that express a satisfaction score for the whole life between 8 and 10

23. Conclusions How muchbeinggoodmakesfeelgood? • Volunteering increases the propensity to be satisfied about your life, whether you take into account the overall assessment of life, as well as the appreciation of specific domains. • The decisive element of life satisfaction is the pursuit of voluntary action in itself, while the organizational model within which it is realized is less relevant, satisfaction derives primarily from thinking of oneself as volunteers and the idea of ​​being perceived by others as engaging in volunteering activities. • Being part of volunteer associations, or even more than one at a time, and being a volunteer in an organized group/association provides opportunities to enrich the network of interpersonal relationships, with a positive impact on well-being, life satisfaction, and more generally on physical and psychological health. 2

24. Grazie per l’attenzione! elmeli@istat.it montecol@istat.it