Ethnicity, Acculturation, and Volunteering to Organizations

Abstract

This article reports the findings of a study of volunteering to organizations among native-born and immigrant African Americans, Asians, Hispanics, and Whites in the United States. The authors focus on the questions, do ethnic groups differ in their likelihood of volunteering, and are these differences a function of acculturation? The conceptual framework to explain formal volunteering includes acculturation, personal and social capital, gender, and age. Using logistic regression analysis, the authors find that acculturation explains formal volunteering only partially and differently among the groups and that each native-born and immigrant group has its own unique combination of predictors of volunteering.

Factors Associated With Volunteering Among Racial/Ethnic Groups: Findings From the California Health Interview Survey

“…The finding that volunteering is related to having more education is consistent with prior research indicating the salient role of higher education in influencing whether people from any racial/ethnic group volunteer (Sundeen et al, 2009;Wang et al, 2013).…”

“…However, when factors of human and social capital were considered in the aggregated model, the odds of volunteering remained significantly lower only among Asians and Hispanics (Butrica et al, 2009;Sundeen et al, 2009). These findings support the idea that human and social capital are important factors for volunteering among midlife and older Blacks and Whites (McNamara & Gonzales, 2011).…”

“…Findings from one study suggest that in comparison to White adults, income is not as strong as a predictor for volunteering among Black adults, whose volunteer participation is attributed more to the cultural importance of religion (Musick, Wilson, & Bynum, 2000). Other research supports the importance of income and wealth in volunteer participation and maintaining role functioning among all racial/ethnic groups (Hughes, Woodward, & Velez-Ortiz, 2013;Sundeen et al, 2009).…”

“…Volunteer participation is negatively associated with male gender and advanced old age while positively associated with higher education, home ownership, good physical health, and psychological well-being (Sundeen, Garcia, & Raskoff, 2009;Thoits & Hewitt, 2001). Findings from one study suggest that in comparison to White adults, income is not as strong as a predictor for volunteering among Black adults, whose volunteer participation is attributed more to the cultural importance of religion (Musick, Wilson, & Bynum, 2000).…”

“…Third, the study was unable to adequately include measures of cultural capital, such as participation in a religious community or the importance of religion in one's life. Research has shown that choosing to volunteer and the type of organization for which people volunteer can be affected by cultural capital, particularly among minority populations (Choi et al, 2007;Musick et al, 2000;Sundeen et al, 2009;Wang et al, 2013). Future research should take into account various forms of cultural capital when investigating race/ethnic differences in volunteer participation among midlife and older adults.…”