29 January 2015

Introduction
As part of the Volunteering Strategy for Northern Ireland, the Department for Social
Development’s (DSD) Voluntary and Community Unit (VCU) commissioned a project to help baseline volunteering levels throughout NI.
The primary data source used to gather this information was the Northern Ireland Omnibus survey conducted in September 2014. This report presents the findings of the research.
NI Omnibus Survey
An omnibus survey is a face-to face survey that contains questions about a wide range of issues. The Northern Ireland Omnibus Survey is carried out by the Central Survey Unit (CSU) of the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) on a regular basis and is designed to provide a snapshot of the lifestyle and views of the people of Northern Ireland.
The content of the Omnibus questionnaire is agreed in consultation with the customers for the survey. Some sections will appear in every survey, for example sections on household structure, housing and employment. Other bespoke sections/questions will appear in the survey only occasionally, depending on what issues are topical at the time.
A systematic random sample of 2,200 addresses is drawn from a Land and Property Services
Agency list of private addresses. This is the most up-to-date listing of private households and is made available to NISRA for research purposes. People living in institutions (e.g. residential homes) are excluded.
The survey interviewers list all members of the household, and one person aged 16 or over is randomly selected to complete the interview.
The fieldwork period is a calendar month. CSU run between 4 and 6 Omnibus surveys each year (usually January, April, May and September and occasionally March and October).
Eight questions regarding volunteering were designed by VCU in conjunction with the DSD
Analytical Services Unit (ASU) and were first included within the September 2013 Omnibus survey. These questions were repeated in the September 2014 Omnibus. This report details the findings from the 2014 survey and provides comparisons with the 2013 baseline where appropriate. It is intended that the questions will be repeated in 2015.
Further information on the Omnibus (to include the response rate for the September 2014 survey) is detailed in Annex A.
1

Definition of Volunteering
Respondents were asked to consider the following definition of volunteering in their responses:
Volunteering is defined as “the commitment of time and energy, for the benefit of society and the community, the environment, or individuals outside (or in addition to) one’s immediate family. It is unpaid and undertaken freely and by choice.”
Respondents were advised that their replies should only refer only to unpaid work or activities.
Rounding and Survey Error
It should be noted that in some instances totals may not add up due to rounding or multiple responses.
As the results presented in this report are based on sample survey data they are therefore subject to a degree of sampling error. This error will be reasonably small for the majority of results but will be larger in those estimates based on small numbers of cases (see base numbers).
Any statements made in this report regarding differences between groups, such as males and females, have been tested and are statistically significant at the 5% significance level. This significance level is the criteria for judging whether differences between groups might have arisen by chance. The standard criteria is the 5% level, i.e. the probability being one in twenty that an observed difference might have arisen by chance factors alone.
Weighting
On occasions, in tables showing weighted data, the sum of column totals does not equal the grand total. This is due to the rounding process associated with weighting.
The percentages in the tables are based on weighted data but the totals are unweighted.
For further information on weighting please see Annex A, Technical notes, Section 1.4 –
Weighting.
2

Summary of Research Findings

Just under a third (30%) of respondents indicated that they had carried out voluntary work within the past year.

The top three reasons for not volunteering were, ‘I have work commitments’ (36%), ‘I don’t have the time’ (35%) and ‘I have to look after children/the home’ (25%).

Almost half (47%) of respondents that had not carried out voluntary work within the past year stated that nothing would encourage them to volunteer.

Of those who had volunteered in the previous year 43% had carried out a fundraising activity, 31% had volunteered for a church or religious organisation and 30% of respondents indicated that they had organised or helped to run a community event.

The most common length of time spent volunteering in the previous 4 week period was
‘Less than 8 hours’ (33% of respondents).

Around three quarters of respondents (76%) stated that their efforts are recognised/appreciated by the organisation for which they volunteer.

The most common methods of identifying volunteering roles were from someone already involved in the organisation (42%), by word of mouth (37%), and through a church or religious organisation (27%).

Around two fifths (41%) of respondents who had volunteered in the previous year indicated that a police or Access NI check was carried out.
The next section of the report provides further detail on the responses given to each of the eight questions asked.
3

Question 1
Figure 1: Thinking about the definition just given, in the past year, have you carried out any voluntary work or activity?
30%
Yes No
70%
Base: 1,081

1,081 responses were received to this question.

Just under a third (30%) of respondents indicated that they had carried out voluntary work within the past year, marking no significant change from the 2013 figure (29%).

Over two thirds (70%) of respondents indicated that they had not carried out voluntary work within the past year.

Similar proportions of male (28%) and female (32%) respondents said that they had volunteered in the past year.

The proportion of respondents in paid employment who had volunteered (33%) was unchanged from 2013. The proportion of respondents not in paid employment also remained similar to the previ ous year’s result at around a quarter.

Analysis by highest educational qualification showed that the higher the level of qualification achieved, the greater the proportion that have carried out voluntary work within the past year - 44% of those with degree level or higher volunteered, compared to
12% of those with no qualifications. This closely mirrored the previous year’s trend.
4


Analysis by religion showed that 30% of Protestant respondents had volunteered in the past year (similar to 33% in 2013), compared with 31% of Catholic respondents (an increase from 25% in 2013).

Analysis by disability status closely mirrored the previous year’s results. These showed that 33% (32% in 2013) of those without a disability volunteered in the past year, compared to 19% (17% in 2013) of those with a disability.

Analysis by Health and Social Care (HSC) Trust revealed the only notable difference from 2013 results to be an increase in the proportion of respondents who had volunteered in the past year in the Southern HSC Trust area, from 24% to 35%.

Analysis by deprivation quintile revealed that 16% of respondents in the quintile identified as ‘most deprived’ had volunteered in the previous year, compared with more than a third (35%) of respondents in the ‘least deprived’ quintile.
5

Question 2
Figure 2: Are there any reasons why? (asked to those who responded “No” to Question 1)
I have work commitments
I don't have the time
I have to look after children/the home
I have an illness or disability that prevents me from volunteering
I don't want to do voluntary work
I feel I'm too old to get involved
No reason
I haven't heard about any opportunities to do voluntary work
I wouldn't know how to get involved
I don't have the right skills or experience to be able to help
I'd be worried about the risks and being liable if something goes wrong
Other - please specify
I'd be worried that I'd end up out of pocket
I'd be worried that it might affect my social security benefits 0%
2%
3%
3%
5%
7%
4%
8%
8%
10%
16%
25%
36%
35%
*Percentages may add to more than 100% due to multiple responses
Base: 778

778 responses were received to this question.

The top three reasons for not volunteering – ‘I have work commitments’ (36%), ‘I don’t have the time’ (35%) and ‘I have to look after children/the home’ (25%) matched the top three reasons from 2013.

Overall, there was little discernible difference from 2013 to 2014 in the proportion of respondents selecting reasons other than those in the top three.

10% of those who responded to the question stated that they did not want to do voluntary work, a slight decline from the 2013 figure (14%).

Analysis by gender indicated that 34% of female respondents said “I have to look after children/the home” (an increase from 27% in 2013), compared with 15% of male respondents (14% in 2013).
 Female respondents (38%) were more likely than male respondents (31%) to give ‘I don’t have the time’ as a reason.

Analysis by age group showed that a large proportion of those aged 25-34 (43%) and of those aged 35-49 (47%) said “I have to look after the children/the home”. Only 12% of those aged 50-64 gave this reason.

Almost a third of those aged 65+ said they felt too old to get involved (30%) – this age group was also more likely than younger age groups to cite disability as a barrier, with
33% stating that ‘I have an illness or disability that prevents me from volunteering.’
6


Analysis by dependant status showed that 44% of respondents with dependants gave work commitments as a reason for not volunteering, compared to 30% of those without dependants. Respondents with dependants (49%) were substantially more likely to give
‘I don’t have the time’ as a reason than those without dependants (26%).

Analysis by employment status showed that around half (49%) of respondents in paid employment stated “I don’t have the time”, compared with 18% of those not in paid employment.

Almost a third (30%) of those not in paid employment said that having an illness or disability prevented them from volunteering, compared with 3% of those in paid employment.
 Analysis by deprivation quintile indicated that respondents in the ‘most deprived’ quintile were much less likely to give ‘I don’t have the time’ (22%) as a reason for not volunteering, compared with 52% in the ‘least deprived’ quintile.

Other responses received mainly referenced caring duties as a reason for not volunteering.
7

Question 3
Figure 3: What would encourage you or make it easier for you to become a volunteer? (asked to those who responded “No” to Question 1)
Nothing would encourage me to volunteer
If I was directly asked to volunteer
If there was flexibility on when and how I could get involved
If it would improve my job or career prospects
If a need arose in my community
If I could develop new skills/knowledge from it
If I received support or time off from my employer
If childcare facilities were provided
If the group offered training/accreditation
If I knew I could be involved despite my illness/disability
If there was more information available on opportunities
If the group refunded my out of pocket expenses
Other - please specify
If I knew my social security benefits would be unaffected
3%
2%
2%
6%
6%
5%
4%
12%
12%
10%
9%
17%
15%
*Percentages may add to more than 100% due to multiple responses
Base: 778

778 responses were received to this question.

Almost half (47%) of respondents stated that nothing would encourage them to volunteer, the same proportion as in 2013. This became more pronounced as age group increased with 29% of the “25-34” group stating this, compared to 72% of the “65 and over” age group.

Analysis by marital status showed that 21% of single respondents stated that improving job/career prospects would encourage them to volunteer, compared with 9% of married 1 respondents.

Married respondents (47%) were more likely than single respondents (36%) to say that nothing would encourage them to volunteer, which closely mirrored the trend in 2013.

A greater proportion of those without dependents (51%) than those with dependents
(41%) said that nothing would encourage them to volunteer.

Analysis by employment status showed that more than half of those respondents who are not in paid employment (56%) answered th at ‘nothing would encourage me to volunteer’, compared to 39% of those who are in paid employment.
1 Married and living with husband/wife, or in a civil partnership
8
47%


16% of those in paid employment indicated that they would be more likely to volunteer if they received time off or support from their employer, similar to the 2014 figure of 21%.

Analysis by disability status showed that almost two thirds (62%) of respondents with a disability sta ted “nothing would encourage me to volunteer”, compared to 41% of those without a disability. This is a similar outcome to the 2013 results.

Other reasons given included needing more time to volunteer and needing better financial stability in order to volunteer.
9

Question 4
Figure 4: In the last 12 months, what types of voluntary work have you carried out? Please indicate all that apply. Please exclude anything that was carried out as part of a paid job.
(asked to those who responded “Yes” to Question 1)
Fundraising
Helping a church or religious organisation
Organising or helping to run community event
Being a group leader, member of a comittee or a trustee
Working with young people
Visiting people (not including immediate family)
Coaching
Promotion of a particular cause or event
Befriending or mentoring
Teaching or training
Providing transport/driving
Collecting / making things to be sold for charity
Practical help such as shopping, gardening, building or Meals on Wheels
Counselling, giving information or advice
Secretarial, administration or clerical work
Other - please specify
Campaigning
Working in a charity shop 1%
5%
15%
14%
13%
12%
11%
10%
9%
26%
23%
21%
18%
16%
16%
31%
30%
43%
*Percentages may add to more than 100% due to multiple responses
Base: 303

303 responses were received to this question.

Of those who had volunteered in the previous year 43% had carried out a fundraising activity, 31% had volunteered for a church or religious organisation and 30% of respondents indicated that they had organised or helped to run a community event.

Analysis by gender indicated that male respondents (25%) were more likely to be involved in coaching as a volunteering activity than female respondents (13%).

Meanwhile, female respondents (26%) were more likely than male respondents (15%) to visit people (not including immediate family).

Female respondents (38%) were also more likely to have volunteered for a church or religious organisation than male respondents (21%).

Protestant respondents (44%), who said they had volunteered in the past year, were more likely to volunteer for a church or religious organisation than Catholic respondents
(20%), which mirrored the trend in 2013 (49% of Protestant respondents, 21% of
Catholic respondents).
10


Respondents living in rural areas (20%) were more likely to have volunteered by providing transport/driving than respondents living in an urban location (9%). This is a reversal of the 2013 trend, where respondents living in urban areas (16%) were more likely to have volunteered by providing transport/driving than respondents living in a rural location (4%).

In 2013, 48% of respondents in paid employment had volunteered through fundraising, compared to 31% of those not in paid employment. In 2014, this gap had narrowed -
45% of those respondents in paid employment, and 40% of those not in paid employment had volunteered through fundraising.

Other types of voluntary work carried out by respondents included dog walking, working with people with disabilities, employer-supported volunteering, and marshalling/stewarding at sporting events.
11

Question 5
Figure 5: Approximately how many hours have you spent doing these types of voluntary work in the last 4 weeks? (asked to those who responded “Yes” to Question 1)
2%
2%
5%
8%
26%
23%
None
Less than 8 hours
8 to 16 hours
17 to 24 hours
25 to 34 hours
35 to 44 hours
45 hours or more
33%
Base: 303

In 2014, as in 2013, the most common length of time spent volunteering in the previous
4 week period was ‘Less than 8 hours’ (33% of respondents).

Around a quarter (26%) stating that they had not volunteered at all within the previous 4 weeks.
12

Question 6
Figure 6: Thinking about the MAIN organisation you volunteer with, which of the statements on the showcard apply? (asked to those who responded “Yes” to Question 1)
My efforts are recognised/appreciated by the organisation
I can cope with the things I am asked to do
I am given the opportunity to do the sort of things I'd like
The organisation has reasonable expectations in terms of workload
It is difficult to balance my volunteering commitments with my work/home commitments
My volunteering leaves me out of pocket (e.g. transport costs)
I feel that volunteers could be better managed
I feel unable to leave my role as there would be no one to take over
My involvement takes up too much of my time
I feel that the organisation is too concerned about risk
I'm thinking of stopping my volunteering
9%
7%
5%
5%
3%
12%
10%
31%
47%
59%
76%
Don't know 1%
*Percentages may add to more than 100% due to multiple responses
Base: 303

Around three quarters of respondents (76%) stated that their efforts are recognised/appreciated by the organisation for which they volunteer, a decline from the
2013 figure (83%).

59% of respondents indicated that they are able to cope with what they are asked to do
– a decline from 69% in 2013.

Almost half of respondents (47%) said they are given the opportunity to do the things they’d like, a similar proportion to 2013 (46%).

Almost a third (31%) of respondents agreed that the organisation for which they volunteer has reasonable expectations in terms of workload.

Analysis by gender revealed that female respondents (53%) were more likely to agree that ‘I am given the opportunity to do the sort of things I’d like to do’, than male respondents (37%).

Analysis by employment status revealed that 62% of those in paid employment indicated that they can cope with the things they are asked to do in their volunteering role, a decrease from 73% in 2013.

Respondents from an urban area (52%) were more likely than those from a rural area
(40%) to agree that they are given the opportunity to do the sort of things they would like.
13

Question 7
Figure 7: How did you find out about your present volunteering role/roles? (asked to those who responded “Yes” to Question 1)
From someone already involved in the organisation
Word of mouth
Through a church or a religious organisation
Through previous use of the services the organisation provides
Through a school, college or university
I contacted the organisation directly
Through a community centre
Through the internet
Through my employers volunteer scheme
Through the local newspapers/radio/TV
I set up the group with like-minded people
From a volunteer centre
Through social media (e.g. Facebook, Twitter)
Through a local event/volunteer fair
Other - please specify
4%
4%
4%
3%
3%
3%
3%
2%
1%
11%
8%
10%
27%
37%
42%
*Percentages may add to more than 100% due to multiple responses
Base: 303

The most common methods of identifying volunteering roles were from someone already involved in the organisation (42%), by word of mouth (37%), and through a church or religious organisation (27%).

Analysis by religion showed that 42% of Protestant respondents had found out about volunteering roles through a church or religious organisation, compared to 12% of
Catholic respondents.

Catholic respondents (47%) were more likely to have found their roles through word of mouth than Protestant respondents (31%).

Other means of identifying volunteering opportunities included through a YMCA and a job centre.
14

Question 8
Figure 8: Thinking about your volunteering role and the main organisation you volunteer with, which of the following statements apply? (asked to those who responded “Yes” to Question 1)
I had a police check/Access NI check completed
I attended an interview or had a chat with the organisation
I received an induction into my volunteering role
The organisation has a volunteering policy in place
I completed an application form
I was asked to declare any criminal record
I have named a person to go to for support
I had to provide references
I receive regular feedback on how I'm getting on
The organisation refunds my out of pocket expenses
I have written a role description
I underwent a trial/probationary period
None of these
12%
9%
11%
9%
9%
22%
20%
19%
16%
19%
32%
41%
33%
*Percentages may add to more than 100% due to multiple responses
Base: 303

Around two fifths (41%) of respondents indicated that a police or Access NI check was carried out, while almost a third of respondents (32%) had an interview or chat with the organisation prior to taking up their volunteering role.

Just under a quarter (22%) of respondents had an induction into their role. 12% were asked to provide references.

Analysis by gender showed that 7% of male respondents have a named person to go to for support, compared with 22% of female respondents.

Analysis by dependant status showed that half (50%) of respondents with dependants had a police or Access NI check completed, compared with just over a third (35%) of respondents without dependants.

Analysis by employment status showed that 16% of those not in paid employment have a written role description, compared to 6% of those in paid employment.
15

Annex A – Omnibus Survey Technical Notes
1.1 The Sample
The sample for the September survey consisted of a systematic random sample of addresses selected from the Pointer database of private addresses. This is the most up-todate listing of private households and is made available to the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency for research purposes. People living in institutions (though not in private households in such institutions) are excluded. A total of 2,200 addresses were selected for interview.
The Pointer database provides a good sampling frame of addresses, but contains no information about the number of people living at an address. Further selection stages were therefore required to convert the listing of addresses to a listing of individuals from which one person (the ‘selected respondent’) is chosen to complete the questionnaire.
Interviewers are instructed to call at each address issued in their assignments. At the first stage of the survey, they have to identify the number of households resident at the address and, where necessary, select one using a selection table (Table 1.1).
Table 1.1 Household Selection Table
Number of households
Household selected
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
1 1 2 3 4 4 2 7 6 8 6 6
The interviewers then list all members of the household who are eligible for inclusion in the sample: that is, all persons currently aged 16 or over living at the address. From this listing of eligible adults, the interviewer's computer randomly selects one adult. This person, the selected respondent, is then asked to complete the interview.
16

1.2 The Fieldwork
Addresses were issued to a panel of 161 interviewers in the middle of August 2014.
The fieldwork period was 1 st
September to the 4 th
October 2014.
Table 1.2 Response Rate
Set sample of addresses
- Ineligible known
- Ineligible unknown (preadjustment)
- Eligible known (pre-adjustment)
- Ineligible (after adjustment)
Eligible (after adjustment)1
Fully co-operating
Partially co-operating
Total co-operating
Refusal to co-operate
Non-contact
Number
2200
342
14
1844
344
1856
1075
6
1081
551
212
Percent
100
58
0
58
30
11
1
The adjusted eligible households include all pre-adjustment eligible households and a proportion of the preadjustment “eligibility unknown” households. The proportion of the pre-adjustment ‘eligibility unknown’ households reclassified as eligible is set at the proportion of pre- adjustment eligible households in the set sample of households: 84%.
1.3 Representativeness of the Sample
In any survey there is a possibility of non-response bias. Non-response bias arises if the characteristics of non-respondents differ from those of respondents in such a way that they are reflected in the responses given in the survey. Accurate estimates of non-response bias can be obtained by comparing characteristics of the achieved sample with the distribution of the same characteristics in the population at the time of sampling. Such comparisons are usually made to the current Census of Population data.
To assess how accurately the Omnibus Survey sample reflects the population of Northern
Ireland the sample has been compared with characteristics of the Northern Ireland population from Mid Year Population Estimates (Table 1.3). The Omnibus Sample has also been compared to the achieved sample of the Continuous Household Survey (CHS).
17

Table 1.3 Representativeness of the Sample
Mid CHS
Year
Population
Estimates
2013
2012/13 (all members of household
Omnibus
(all members of household
16+)
Age
16-24
25-34
35-49
50-64
65 and over
Gender
Male
Female
Base=100%
15
17
26
22
19
48
52
1,447,118
14
16+)
15
26
23
21
47
53
5,197
7
12
14
27
26
21
47
53
2,020
00
1.4 Weighting
Selected
Respondent
11
1316
299
26
21
44
56
1,081
Selecting only one individual for interview at each sampled address means that the probability of selection for the survey is inversely related to the size of the household. In other words individuals living in large households have a lower chance of being included in the sample than individuals in small households.
Before analysis, all households which provided a selected respondent are examined and the data are weighted in relation to the number of eligible adults at the address derived from the details of household structure recorded by interviewers on the questionnaire. This weighting process adjusts the results to those that would have been achieved if the sample had been drawn as a random sample of adults rather than of addresses. In this sample 37% of households consisted of one adult, while 47% of households consisted of two adults. 10% of households contained three adults, while 6% of households consisted of four or more adults.
18

Note: on occasions, in tables showing weighted data, the sum of column totals does not equal the grand total. This is due to the rounding process associated with weighting.
The percentages in the tables are based on weighted data but the totals are unweighted.
Table 1.4 Weighting of the Sample
Number of adults
16 and over
Number Household
Size x
Number
Relative
Scaled
Weight
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
405
505
104
46
18
2
1
405
1010
312
184
90
12
7
0.5351485149
1.0702970297
1.6054455446
2.1405940594
2.6757425743
3.2108910891
3.7460396040
R = 1081= 0.5351485149
2020
To demonstrate the effects of weighting on the responses given by selected respondents, the question “Thinking about the definition just given, in the past year, have you carried out any voluntary work or activity?
” was analysed both weighted and unweighted (Tables 1.5 and 1.6).
19

Table 1.5 (Weighted)
Frequency
V a l No i d
325
756
1081
Percent
30.1
69.9
100.0
Table 1.6 (Unweighted)
Frequency Percent
V a i l No d
303
778
1081
28.0
72.0
100.0
20

1.5 Sampling Error
No sample is likely to reflect precisely the characteristics of the population it is drawn from because of both sampling and non-sampling errors. An estimate of the amount of error due to the sampling process can be calculated. For a simple random sample design, in which every member of the sampled population has an equal and independent chance of inclusion in the sample, the sampling error of any percentage, p, can be calculated by the formula: s.e. (p) = √(p*(100 – p)/n where n is the number of respondents on which the percentage is based. The sample for the NI Omnibus Survey is drawn as a random sample, and thus this formula can be used to calculate the sampling error of any percentage estimate from the survey.
A confidence interval for the population percentage can be calculated by the formula
95 per cent confidence interval = p+/- 1.96 * s.e. (p)
If 100 similar, independent samples were chosen from the same population, 95 of them would be expected to yield an estimate for the percentage, p, within this confidence interval.
The absence of design effects in the survey, and therefore of the need to calculate complex standard errors, means that standard statistical tests of significance (which assume random sampling) can be applied directly to the data.
1.6 Notation
The percentages quoted in tables have been rounded to the nearest number. Where the base was less than 100, the actual number is given rather than the percentages denoted by the column label.
The following symbols are used: category not applicable - cell is empty figure less than 0.5% - cell is ‘0’