Trends in Volunteering in Scandinavia

Abstract

In this chapter, we examine participation rate and time use trends in volunteering in Scandinavia during the period from the beginning of the 1990s until the mid-2010s. The aim of the analysis is twofold. First, we aim to provide a descriptive analysis of the trends in volunteering in Scandinavia during the period under investigation. Second, we aim to determine whether and to what extent the sociodemographic and institutional changes in the Scandinavian societies during this period can explain the observed trends in volunteering. The results show that the overall levels of participation in volunteering are high and stable in the Scandinavian countries, with a small upward trend. The participation levels are all high in international comparisons, but they are markedly higher in Norway and Sweden than in Denmark. Volunteers' contributions of time appear relatively stable in Norway, but Denmark has witnessed a slight decline and Sweden has witnessed a slight increase. The explanatory analysis revealed that nearly half of the upward trend in the levels of volunteering can be attributed to the expansion of education in the Scandinavian countries. The explanatory analysis also indicated that the gap in the levels of volunteering between Sweden and Norway on the one hand, and Denmark on the other hand, cannot be attributed to socio-demographic differences between the countries, as the gap is left unchanged when controlling for socio-demographic factors.

Religious Participation and Civic Engagement in a Secular Context: Evidence from Sweden on the Correlates of Attending Religious Services

“…The argument regarding lower levels of citizen participation, however, found little empirical support in the Swedish data. The share of citizens age 16-85 years who were involved in volunteering connected to civil society organizations remained stable, at around an average of 50%, from 1992 to 2014 (see also Qvisth et al, 2019). This level of stability is remarkable considering that Sweden underwent several important political and economic changes during this time period such as the separation between the Lutheran Church of Sweden and the state.…”

“…This level of stability is remarkable considering that Sweden underwent several important political and economic changes during this time period such as the separation between the Lutheran Church of Sweden and the state. An important explanation for the stability in the overall volunteering rates is the increasing share of the population with higher levels of education, as those with higher levels of education, in general, are more likely to volunteer (Qvisth et al, 2019). Over the years, the share who volunteers for religious organizations, with the exception of small shifts in 1992 and 2014, has remained stable, even though the dominant Lutheran Church since the year 2000 no longer is a state church.…”

“…The question also enquired whether those who were religiously active volunteered for other than religious organizations. As shown in Table 1, those who are religiously active lean toward having more of the characteristics previously known to increase the likelihood of volunteering (e.g., education, age, and living in a rural area; Qvisth et al, 2019).…”

“…In line with previous studies (Poljarevic et al, 2019), the analyses showed that religious services attendance is positively correlated with the propensity to volunteer for a civil society organization in Sweden. Religious participation matters, even if the average share of the population who volunteers in Sweden is high (Qvisth et al, 2019). Therefore, religious services attendance withstood a tough empirical test.…”

“…Overall, attending religious services in a country like Sweden, where religion is mostly regarded as a private matter (Hagevi, 2012), seems to include the participants in a social fabric that extends to, albeit limited in type, civil society organizations. In the Swedish context, the choice of civil society organizations where the religiously active volunteer stands out, as it differs from the type of organizations that usually attract the largest share of volunteers such as leisure organizations like sports and hobby organizations (Qvisth et al, 2019).…”