Volunteerism and Social Capital in Metropolitan Perth: A Preliminary Assessment. Veronica Huddleston

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1 Volunteerism and Social Capital in Metropolitan Perth: A Preliminary Assessment Veronica Huddleston Numerous definitions of social capital exist. The Oxford (English) Dictionary defines social capital as the networks of relationships among people who live and work in a particular society, enabling that society to function effectively. In his seminal book, Bowling Alone, the US academic Robert Putnam (1995) used the image of the lonely bowler to encapsulate the increasing trend for individual rather than collective participation. Putnam (1995) defined social capital as the features of social organisations that improve coordination and cooperation for mutual benefit. Despite the political and policy interest in the concept of social capital in the wake of Putnam s book, measuring social capital is a challenging task. Grafton (2005:754), for example, has emphasised that no single measure (or even a collection of measures) can adequately represent the social capital of a society. Narayan and Cassidy (2001) have noted that the variety of methods used to measure social capital reflect the diversity of definitions surrounding the concept. Nonetheless, social capital may be viewed as one of the most essential components of community sustainability, what Smailes and Hugo (2003:98) argue is indisputably an attribute of the community itself, rather than of the environment in which the community is embedded. The Australian Bureau of Statistics (2004:5) has adopted the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development s (OECD) definition of social capital networks, together with shared norms, values and understandings which facilitate cooperation within or among groups in order to develop a social capital framework and set of indicators. This paper focuses on a simple, yet important measure of social capital the proportion of people who participate in volunteer work and activities that provide assistance to other individuals, groups and the wider community (ABS, 2004:55). Relying on a single indicator to measure social capital is obviously problematic given the open and multi-faceted nature of social capital (Van Deth, 2010). However, as Stukas et al. (2005:43) have highlighted, a good first step would be greater appreciation of the contributions of volunteers to the health and well-being of our communities and our societies. Volunteerism and Social Capital Volunteering involves activities where time is freely given to benefit another person, group or organisation (Wilson, 2000). Studies on volunteering have tended to focus on theories that explain volunteering, volunteer motivation and satisfaction, and its impact and benefits on individual and societal well being, including social capital (Prouteau and Wolff, 2008; Hank and Stuck, 2008; Ziemek, 2006; and Wilson, 2000). Most measures of social capital concentrate on networks and trusts. Indicators commonly used include measures of activities of voluntary associations (Van Deth, 2010). Portes (1998), drawing on Putnam s assertion that a substantial stock of social capital makes it easier for members of a community to work together, developed a range of indicators related to associational involvement and participatory behaviour in a community: newspaper reading; membership in voluntary associations; and, expressions of trust in political authorities. In their assessment of the level of social capital in the Gilbert Valley, South Australia, Smailes and Hugo (2003) used the level of participation in local organisations and the range of FACTBase 1

2 social activities within the local area/community. A number of studies indicate that social capital has an important role in fostering community identity and belonging through participation in sporting teams, community clubs and special interest groups (see, for example, Tonts, 2005; Smailes, 2002). Field (2003) further argues that voluntary organisations and associations are an important vehicle for creating and expressing social capital. Perth as a Volunteering Community The 2006 and 2011 Census of Population and Housing includes data on the voluntary work that Australians do for an organisation or a group. 1 This measure of volunteerism entails help willingly given by residents aged 15 years and above in the form of time, service or skills to a club, organisation or association in the twelve months prior to Census night. 2 Data on voluntary work across 40 SLAs within the Perth and Peel region from the 2006 and 2011 Census of Population and Housing provides an ideal opportunity to examine the geographical and temporal dynamics of volunteerism. The number of persons aged 15 years and above within the Perth and Peel region who participated in voluntary work increased from 185,000 in 2006 to almost 220,000 in ABS also undertakes the General Social Survey (GSS) to collect voluntary work data. 2 As defined in the Census dictionary (2011), unpaid voluntary work can include: assisting at organised events and with sports organisations; helping with organised school events and activities; assisting in churches, hospitals, nursing homes and charities; or other kinds of volunteer work (e.g. emergency services, serving on a committee for a club, etc.). Table 1 Persons aged 15 years and over who participated in volunteer work, 2006 and Absolute Increase an increase of 18.5 per cent (Table 1). Only Brisbane registered a higher growth rate than Metro Perth among the key Australian cities. The volunteer participation rate in Metro Perth, however, was slightly lower than in the other cities, with the exception of Sydney. Figure 1 shows the spatial distribution of volunteers at the SLA level across Perth. It can be seen that volunteer rates (over 25.1%) are highest among those SLAs located in the central metropolitan area Cambridge, Cottesloe, Claremont, Mosman Park, Nedlands, Peppermint Grove, and Subiaco. Areas in the north and south-east/ south-west metropolitan areas, on the other hand, have low rates of volunteering. This spatial variation could be attributed to a number of factors, such as the greater availability of opportunities for volunteer Growth Rate (%) Australia 2,850,997 3,090, , Metro Perth and Peel Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide 184, ,217 34, , ,280 43, , ,530 61, , ,339 63, , ,581 17, Data presented for 2006 is at the Statistical Division geographical classification while data for 2011 is for the Capital City Statistical Area which are named according to the cities they represent, for example, Sydney. The Metro Perth and Peel region includes Perth SLAs and the Murray and Waroona SLAs. Volunteer Rate (Source: ABS TableBuilder, 2006 and 2011 Counting Persons, Place of Usual Residence.) work and the higher number of volunteer organisations in these areas. Age, level of education and socio-economic status could also explain these variations. The SLAs that have the highest proportions of volunteers tend to be older (as evidenced by their relatively higher median ages), more educated (with the highest proportions of residents with Bachelor Degrees and higher educational qualifications), and relatively wealthier (with higher median family and household incomes). 3 3 The relationship between volunteer participation rates and age, education and income variables was investigated using Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient. There were strong, positive correlations between the volunteer participation rates and a) median age (r=.64, p<.01); b) the proportion of the population with Bachelor Degrees and higher educational qualifications (r=.71, p<.01); c) median weekly family income (r=.73, p<.01); and d) median weekly household income (r=.63, p<.01). FACTBase 2

3 Figure 1 Proportion of Volunteers Aged 15 Years and over for 40 Metro Perth and Peel Region SLAs, 2011 Joondalup - South Stirling - Coastal Cambridge 7 Nedlands 6 Claremont Wanneroo - South Stirling - Central South Perth Bayswater Victoria Park Canning 12 Belmont Swan Mundaring Kalamunda Volunteerism: Gender and Age Table 2 shows that in both 2006 and 2011, more females than males in Metro Perth and Peel participated in volunteer work. This also holds true for Australia as a whole and the other key cities. Furthermore, it is consistent with international research findings (Kaminski, 1996; Wymer and Samu, 2002) that show that females are significantly more empathetic than males. Wanneroo - North-West Joondalup - North Mandurah Insert A Wanneroo - North-East Joondalup - South Cockburn Kwinana Rockingham Murray Waroona 1 Insert A Swan Gosnells 2 13 Kalamunda Armadale Serpentine-Jarrahdale 2 Mundaring Melville Cockburn Gosnells Insert A 1. Fremantle - Inner 2. Fremantle - Remainder 3. Mosman Park 4. Cottesloe 5. Peppermint Grove 6. Claremont 7. Subiaco 8. Perth - Remainder 9. Perth - Inner 10. Vincent 11. Stirling - South-Eastern 12. Bassendean 13. East Fremantle Legend Proportion of people who participate in volunteer work Below Over km ¹ Although female volunteer participation rates (19.4% and 19.1%) were higher than male volunteer rates (14.6% and 14.3%) for both Census years, there was a marginal decline in the volunteer rate for both genders. Volunteer rates varied across the different age groups for both males and females. Males aged years (18.9% and 18.3%) and years (18.2% and 19.1%) recorded the highest rates of volunteerism in 2006 and 2011 respectively. In relation to females, volunteer rates were highest amongst those aged years (24.6% and 24.3%) and years (23.7% and 22.2%). This pattern was basically similar to the Australian average. However, it is worth noting that for 2011, volunteer participation rate amongst those aged years in Perth and Peel was above the national rate of participation. This increase in youth volunteerism has potentially positive outcomes in terms of reductions in problem behaviours such as school truancy and drug abuse (Wilson, 2000:215). FACTBase 3

4 Table 2 Volunteer Status of Persons Aged 15 Years and Over by Sex and Age in Metro Perth and Peel, 2006 and 2011 Volunteers Total Volunteer Rate MALES Volunteers Nonvolunteers Nonvolunteers Total Volunteer Rate years 6,363 42,511 48, ,078 44,722 53, years 5,755 44,819 50, ,302 52,501 59, years 4,805 39,079 43, ,811 54,233 61, years 5,013 41,953 46, ,068 49,300 55, years 6,586 44,149 50, ,209 49,218 56, years 8,182 42,630 50, ,467 48,599 58, years 8,578 41,341 49, ,546 46,201 55, years 7,235 38,871 46, ,340 43,262 51, years 6,756 37,066 43, ,861 38,958 45, years 5,365 27,027 32, ,660 35,872 42, years 4,573 19,633 24, ,555 24,872 30, years 3,302 14,856 18, ,257 17,986 22, years 2,279 12,076 14, ,640 13,056 15, years 1,139 7,920 9, ,422 9,580 11, years and over 386 5,243 5, ,072 7, Total 76, , , , , , FEMALES years 8,515 39,450 47, ,937 40,223 52, years 8,233 41,763 49, ,517 48,478 58, years 6,613 38,627 45, ,163 51,339 60, years 7,796 42,063 49, ,086 47,777 56, years 11,409 42,387 53, ,081 46,822 58, years 13,365 41,043 54, ,888 46,280 61, years 12,047 41,549 53, ,487 45,240 58, years 9,645 39,955 49, ,617 44,221 54, years 8,705 35,881 44, ,829 40,356 49, years 6,992 25,064 32, ,556 35,358 43, years 5,987 19,232 25, ,880 24,046 30, years 4,208 15,929 20, ,347 18,794 24, years 2,990 14,159 17, ,326 15,207 18, years 1,489 11,536 13, ,822 12,812 14, years and over ,649 12, ,880 14, Total 108, , , , , , PERSONS years 14,878 81,961 96, ,015 84, , years 13,988 86, , , , , years 11,418 77,706 89, , , , years 12,809 84,016 96, ,154 97, , years 17,995 86, , ,290 96, , years 21,547 83, , ,355 94, , years 20,625 82, , ,033 91, , years 16,880 78,826 95, ,957 87, , years 15,461 72,947 88, ,690 79,314 95, years 12,357 52,091 64, ,216 71,230 86, years 10,560 38,865 49, ,435 48,918 61, years 7,510 30,785 38, ,604 36,780 46, years 5,269 26,235 31, ,966 28,263 34, years 2,628 19,456 22, ,244 22,392 25, years and over 1,000 16,892 17, ,465 20,952 22, Total 184, ,461 1,104, ,217 1,066,265 1,285, (Source: ABS TableBuilder, 2006 and 2011 Counting Persons, Place of Usual Residence.) FACTBase 4

5 Conclusion Social capital has emerged as an important concept with public policy in nations such as the UK, USA and Australia on account of its important role in contributing to social sustainability within local communities. However, since social capital remains a somewhat elusive concept in definitional and measurement terms, it is difficult to implement policies designed to encourage or enhance more social capital. It seems clear that older and wealthier people, in general, tend to volunteer more than younger people. This is not surprising as they are likely to have relatively more time, especially if they have retired. But by volunteering, older people remain active physically and mentally and make a positive contribution to their local communities. The spatial distribution of volunteerism also shows a bias in that those in the central metropolitan suburbs with wealthier, healthier, better educated and older population tend to have the highest rates of volunteerism. In contrast, the socio-economic profile of those SLAs with lower rates of volunteerism tends to be relatively lower. This spatial variation points to the need to pursue income generation and educational programs that may improve the relative positions of these areas in the future. This bulletin has highlighted that volunteering provides a simple yet useful indicator of the broad sense of social capital within a community or jurisdiction. Volunteering not only helps those in need of support or assistance but it also plays a role in enhancing the selfworth and wellbeing of those doing the actual volunteering. Nevertheless, further research is needed to enable local governments to capitalise on the positive contribution of volunteerism to local social capital development. This will necessitate the development of an aggregate measure of social capital based on indicators commonly used and collected by local governments. References Australian Bureau of Statistics (2004), Measuring Social Capital: An Australian Framework and Indicators, ABS Cat , Commonwealth of Australia, Canberra. (2011), Census Dictionary, ABS Cat , Commonwealth of Australia, Canberra. Field, J. (2003) Social Capital. Routledge, London. Grafton, R.Q. (2005) Social capital and fisheries governance. Ocean and Coastal Management, 48, Hank, K. and Stuck, S. (2008) Volunteer work, informal help, and care among the 50+ in Europe: Further evidence for linked productive activities at older ages. Social Science Research, 37, Kaminski, Andrea (1996) A National Network for Men as Volunteers? Women s Philanthropy, 4, 8-11 Narayan, D. and Cassidy, M.F. (2001) A Dimensional Approach to Measuring Social Capital: Development and Validation of a Social Capital Inventory. Current Sociology, 49(2), Oxford Dictionary (2014) Definition of social capital in English. < definition/english/social-capital >, Cited 29 April Portes, A. (1998) Social Capital: Its Origins and Applications in Modern Sociology. Annual Reviews of Sociology, 24, Prouteau, L. and Wolff, F-C. (2008) On the relational motive for volunteer work. Journal of Economic Psychology, 29, Putnam, R. (1995) Bowling Alone: America s declining social capital. Journal of Democracy, 6, Smailes, P. (2002) From rural dilution to multifunctional countryside: some pointers to the future from South Australia. Australian Geographer, 33, Smailes, P.J. and Hugo, G. J. (2003) The Gilbert Valley, South Australia. In Cocklin, C. and Alston, M. (Eds.) Community Sustainability in Rural Australia: A Question of Capital? Charles Sturt University, Centre for Rural Social Research, Wagga Wagga. Stukas, A.A., Daly, M. and Cowling, M.J. (2005) Voluntarism and Social Capital: A Functional Approach. Australian Journal on Volunteering, 10(2), Tonts, M. (2005) Government Policy and Rural Sustainability. In Cocklin, C. and Dibden, J. (Eds.) Sustainability and Change in Rural Australia. University of New South Wales Press Ltd., Sydney. Van Deth, J.W. (2010) Measuring social capital: Orthodoxies and Continuing Controversies. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 6(1), Wilson, J. (2000) Volunteering. Annual Review of Sociology, 26, Wymer, Jr, W.W. and Samu, S. (2002) Volunteer Service as Symbolic Consumption: Gender and Occupational Differences in Volunteering. Journal of Marketing Management, 18, Ziemek, S. (2006) Economic analysis of volunteers motivations A crosscountry study. The Journal of Socio- Economics, 35, FACTBase 5

6 About FACTBase FACTBase is a collaborative research project between the Committee for Perth and The University of Western Australia to benchmark the liveability of Perth and its global connectedness through an examination of Perth s economic, social, demographic and political character. The FACTBase team of academics and researchers condense a plethora of existing information and databases on the major themes, map what is happening in Perth in pictures as well as words, and examine how Perth compares with, and connects to, other cities around the world. Copyright The Committee for Perth is a member-funded organisation and we acknowledge Foundation partners: A complete list of current members is available at: This paper is copyright of The University of Western Australia and the Committee for Perth. While we encourage its use, it should be referenced as: Huddleston, V. (2014) Volunteerism and Social Capital in Metropolitan Perth: A Preliminary Assessment, FACTBase Bulletin 35, The University of Western Australia and the Committee for Perth, Perth. Acknowledgement The author acknowledges the comments provided by Dr Paul Maginn and Dr Kirsten Martinus and the mapping assistance of Mei Ruu Kok in the preparation and finalisation of this Bulletin. About the author Veronica Huddleston is an Associate Professor of human geography at The University of Western Australia s School of Earth and Environment. With an extensive international development assistance experience in Asia and Australia, her research and project interests include macroeconomic and strategic policy and planning, restructuring and adjustment of resource-dependent communities, and social dimensions of development projects. In addition to undertaking research on the FACTBase project, she lectures on regional development and planning, socio-economic analysis and economic geography. She also coordinates and lectures on the Regional Development and Mining training course that provides international participants (funded by the Australian Government) with a through grounding in the theory and practice of development planning and management practices in the mining sector. UniPrint FACTBase 6