AILSA CHANG, HOST:
Starting even before the COVID-19 pandemic, Americans had been volunteering less and less frequently. That is the finding of the Do Good Institute at the University of Maryland. And, well, here at ALL THINGS CONSIDERED, we wanted to devote some time this year to exploring who does volunteer in the U.S., why do they do it and how does that volunteering make them feel? Here to help us launch this series, which we are calling Here To Help, is Nathan Dietz. He's the research director of the Do Good Institute, which I just mentioned. Welcome to ALL THINGS CONSIDERED, Nathan.
NATHAN DIETZ: Thank you, Ailsa.
CHANG: So to start us off, can we just first define some terms here, just very broadly? What do we mean when we say volunteerism? How would you characterize that?
DIETZ: Well, volunteerism, I think, is a term that refers to all work that people do that isn't paid on behalf of others. Actually, doing it on behalf of others isn't necessarily part of the definition, but that is what most people think of when they think of volunteering.
CHANG: Yeah.
DIETZ: Now, the particular type of volunteering that we have studied most of all many people call formal volunteering, which is volunteering that's done through or for an organization.
CHANG: OK. So you're not, like, tracking someone volunteering to mow their neighbor's lawn.
DIETZ: That's exactly right.
CHANG: Got it.
DIETZ: You know, that's an example of what we might call informal volunteering.
CHANG: And how many Americans, roughly, participate in formal volunteerism?
DIETZ: The percentage of people who have volunteered ages 16 and over has usually been between 25- and 30%, and sometimes it's been as low as the low 20s, but it's never been a very high percentage.
CHANG: It's so funny, when you said that 30% has never been really a high percentage, when you first said that statistic, I thought, well, that's higher than I thought. That's pretty high. That's pretty good.
(LAUGHTER)
CHANG: That's how jaded I am about people's willingness to volunteer for anything these days. And can you tell me, when did you start tracking this data? How many years ago?
DIETZ: It was tracked before this on an off-and-on basis, but it was collected on an annual basis starting in 2002, and that was done in response to the September 11 attacks. Then-President Bush issued a call to service to all Americans to get more involved in your communities in response to these tragedies.
CHANG: What are some of the hardest barriers to overcome when it comes to trying to encourage more volunteering?
DIETZ: Trying to make a range of volunteering opportunities available to people who might not be able to volunteer in the traditional way.
CHANG: I mean, thinking about this from an individual level - and maybe I'm just projecting myself into this - I think a big barrier is people just assume they don't have the time.
DIETZ: Well, if you look at a typical day for volunteers versus non-volunteers, volunteers, their day looks pretty much like non-volunteers' day does, except that volunteers sleep less and they watch less TV.
CHANG: (Laughter) Wait, but...
DIETZ: Simple as that.
CHANG: ...What happens if I like to sleep and watch TV? What do I do, Nathan?
(LAUGHTER)
DIETZ: Well, neither of those things makes you a bad person.
(LAUGHTER)
CHANG: Well, as we roll out this series, Nathan, we hope that our listeners will share their own volunteer stories. And I'm just wondering, have you ever volunteered? My guess is yes. And if so, is there a story about your own volunteering that you want to share with us?
DIETZ: Throughout my life, you know, I've done volunteer work for this or that reason. I'll tell you, though, I think, thinking back, the experience that I remember most closely - and this is, you know, from as far back as I can remember - my mom was always very interested in having other kids in the community around to do things together. You know, kids from the neighborhood would all sort of congregate over at our house and, you know, play with me and my mom. You know, there were periods where I thought to myself, oh, this isn't fair. These kids have parents. Why are they bothering...
CHANG: (Laughter) Why are they hogging my mom?
DIETZ: ...Me and my mom? Yeah.
CHANG: (Laughter).
DIETZ: But I think the...
CHANG: You were volunteering, Nathan.
DIETZ: Well, part of what motivates volunteering for people is that there's benefit. It feels great to kind of open up your social circles to include people who aren't from your immediate family and closest friends.
CHANG: Yeah.
DIETZ: And that's what my mom was doing. That is, you know, one of the most fantastic lessons I think that anybody could have.
CHANG: Nathan Dietz is the research director at the Do Good Institute. Thank you so much for this conversation. I really enjoyed talking to you.
DIETZ: Oh, same here, Ailsa. Thanks a lot.
CHANG: And we want your help. Tell us your own story about how being a volunteer has shaped your life or nominate someone you think we should profile. Go to npr.org and search Here To Help.
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