Volunteering improves young adults’ confidence and life satisfaction, study finds

Volunteering improves young adults’ life outcomes and increases confidence and satisfaction, according to new research.

The findings show that 20-year-olds who volunteer are more satisfied with their lives and are more confident of themselves as adults. Volunteering can also protect young people’s mental health from the negative effects of living in socially disadvantaged communities, the researchers said.

The study was conducted by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), in partnership with the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY) and the Department of Rural and Community Development (DRCD), and published on Tuesday.

It found that around a third of 20-year-olds were involved in volunteering and more than half were involved in some kind of political activity, such as signing a petition or contacting a politician or councillor in the past year. Only one in six had been more actively politically involved, such as joining a party or demonstrating.

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Most young people said they were not very interested in politics (with only 12 per cent rating their interest at eight or more out of 10), but most (72 per cent) were registered to vote.

Young men were more involved in sports volunteering, but young women were somewhat more involved in other types of volunteering such as for social or charitable organisations. Young people from more socially and economically advantaged backgrounds were more likely to volunteer, take part in political activities, be registered to vote and be interested in politics.

Education and schooling also play a key role in young people’s engagement, the study found. Those who took part in transition year, who liked school and got on well there, and who went on to higher education were more civically and politically engaged at age 20, the researchers found.

The research was based on data from children born in 1998 from the Growing Up in Ireland study in 2019, when they were aged 20. James Laurence, lead author of the report, said it shows that civil and political engagement not only benefits society, but also those taking part.

“Volunteering in particular can improve young adults’ mental wellbeing as well as protect them from socially disadvantaged environments,” he said.

“Closing the gaps in civic and political engagement between different groups of young people, such as those from more advantaged and disadvantaged backgrounds, can therefore reap dividends, both for young people and society as a whole.”

Emer Smyth, co-author of the report, said transition year has a strong effect on becoming involved in volunteering and political activities.

“However, not all young people take the programme. Therefore, there are lessons to be learned for the rest of senior cycle from the success of transition year in promoting civic and political engagement.”