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Abstract

While disagreeing over the reasons why the performance of civic obligations seems to be declining, conservatives and liberals agree that people need to be reminded of their duties as citizens for this decline to be halted. But do these exhortations work? This paper tests two theories about how people become volunteers. The "normativist" perspective assumes that volunteer behavior flows from socialization into pro-social attitudes; the "social practice" perspective stresses the formative role of practical experiences and social participation. Using a panel study of high school seniors who were reinterviewed in their mid-20s and again in their early 30s, we show that volunteer work undertaken in high school has long-term benefits as does social participation more generally but that socialization into pro-social attitudes has an even stronger influence on volunteering in middle age. The implications of our study are that mandatory community service programs can boost later volunteer efforts but that socialization into appropriate citizenship attitudes is of equal, if not greater, importance.

Long-Term Engagement in Formal Volunteering and Well-Being: An Exploratory Indian Study

“…were also reported by a few long-term volunteers who opined that these provided a platform for them to become aware about social issues and volunteer at an early age. These observations point to the potential utility of such exposures at familial and societal levels for cultivating a pro-volunteering attitude from an early age and are in line with other studies [42,43]. The long-term volunteers in the present study not only had a long history of volunteering, but their level of engagement was also fairly high.…”

Reasons for Volunteering in the Field of Civil Protection in Germany

“…Recently collected data of members of non-profit civil protection showed a similar age distribution: 58% were aged 20 or below when they entered the service, although a small increase of voluntary services of 13% occurred at the age of 30-40 (13%; BIK 2013). Janoski, Musick, and Wilson (1998) : p. 515 suggest that one way to recruit more young people into volunteering services is "…to ensure that lessons of civic duty and social obligations are learned early and well". They showed that volunteer work undertaken in high school has a strong positive influence on volunteering.…”

The Accidental Nonprofiteer: Chance Events and the Selection of a Nonprofit Career

“…Several mechanisms can introduce individuals to the nonprofit sector, including volunteerism, service learning, and socialization (Aronson, 1999;Astin, Sax, & Avalos, 1999;Bekkers, 2004Bekkers, , 2007Erikson, 1968;Hackett, Esposito, & O'Halloran, 1989;Janoski, Musick, & Wilson, 1998;Janoski & Wilson, 1995;Jones & Abes, 2004;Kelman, 1961). Each of these elements could affect an individual's awareness of careers in the nonprofit sector and perhaps professional entry into the sector as well.…”