How Understanding European Attitudes About Volunteering Can Help Associations

Any association professional who has engaged with volunteer leaders in different European countries or tried to recruit them will have noticed that there are great differences in attitudes toward volunteering between countries and cultures on the continent.

Volunteering rates vary between different countries and cultures in Europe. According to a 2018 Eurostat survey, informal volunteering rates were higher (22.2%) than formal volunteering rates (19.3%) and higher in some countries. The average formal volunteering rates in Europe (19.3%) were lower than the US (25%), but some European countries had significantly higher rates, including Norway (48%), Netherlands (40.3%), Denmark (38.7%), Luxembourg (36.5%), and Switzerland (35.5%).

The three main factors that contribute to volunteer rates are cultural factors, capability, and individual motivators. Cultural factors include religion, history, and civil society traditions. Capability factors include income, income equality, social capital (trust), and human capital (education, skills, and health). Individual motivators include altruism, network building, and career/business support.