Participation
More volunteers from higher income homes
Volunteering: by annual gross household income, 2001, England & Wales
People in higher income households are more likely than others to volunteer. In 2001, 57 per cent of adults in England and Wales with gross annual household incomes of £75,000 or more had volunteered formally (such as raising or handling money for a charity or being a member of a committee) in the previous 12 months. They were almost twice as likely to have done so than those living in households with an annual income under £10,000 (29 per cent).
As well as having high household incomes, volunteers also tend to have higher academic qualifications, be in higher socio-economic groups and be in employment. Among people with a degree or postgraduate qualification, 79 per cent had volunteered informally and 57 per cent had volunteered formally in the previous 12 months. For people with no qualifications the corresponding proportions were 52 per cent and 23 per cent.
Another form of social participation, voting at elections, seems also to depend on socio-economic characteristics. For example, young people aged between 18 and 24 were some of the least likely people to vote. In 2001, 39 per cent of people aged 18 to 24 voted in the general election compared with 70 per cent of those aged 65.
Percentage of people who voted in the 2001 general election: by employment status, GB
Voter turnout in the 2001 general election also varied by employment status. For those in work, the proportion who voted was slightly higher for self-employed people (71 per cent) than for employed people (66 per cent). Unemployed people were the least likely to vote - 48 per cent did so in 2001.
Sources: Citizenship Survey, Home Office British Household Panel Survey, Institute for Social and Economic Research
Notes: Household income is defined as annual gross household income.
The data on volunteering are derived from the Home Office Citizenship Survey 2001. Adults over 16 were asked whether they have volunteered formally or informally at least once in the previous 12 months.
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