Volunteers are more satisfied with their lives!

by Denise Hayward, Chief Executive, Volunteer Now

New research from NISRA shows evidence for the link between volunteering and life satisfaction, self-efficacy and locus of control.  The evidence shows that overall volunteering is a really positive activity for everyone.  The report does not look at the reasons leading to these findings, it may be because of fulfilling activity or friendships however the results are consistent with other earlier data as an impact of volunteering.

• Life satisfaction relates to an individual’s satisfaction with their life overall. A higher average life satisfaction score was found for those who volunteered in comparison with those who did not.
• Self-efficacy is the extent or strength of an individual’s belief in their own ability to complete tasks and reach goals. Those with high self-efficacy have confidence in their abilities and make sustained efforts to achieve goals. A higher average self-efficacy score was found for those who volunteered in comparison with those who did not.
• Locus of control explains the degree to which a person feels in control over their life. Locus of control is classified as either external or internal.  Those with an internal locus of control believe in their own influence and control, while those with an external locus of control believe control over their life is determined by outside factors.  A more internal locus of control score was found for those who volunteered in comparison with those who did not.

The survey also looked at whether people who volunteered felt lonely.  People who volunteered were very slightly less likely to be lonely than people who did not, but it was not regarded as a significant difference.  Click here to view the report.