Abstract
Not only do societies benefit from volunteer efforts of its citizens, evidence is accruing that volunteering is beneficial to the health and well-being of older adults. To date older adults volunteer in similar rate to other age groups, but contribute more hours when they do volunteer. Although research on the effects of volunteering has grown in recent years, only limited attention has been paid to the factors that contribute to older adults’ decision to volunteer.
Socioemotional selectivity theory (SST) posits that goals change with age. As time horizons grow increasingly limited – as they typically do with age - people prioritize emotionally meaningful goals. Reasoning from SST, we hypothesized that interest in volunteering may be heightened when volunteer activities were described in emotionally meaningful terms. We also reasoned that being able to make a real difference by expressing relevant experience would be motivating when time horizons are limited.
150 participants aged 18–82 answered an online survey in which they were presented with one of two advertisements for a hypothetical volunteer opportunity in a local children’s library. One advertisement highlighted the ability to make a difference in a child’s life. It was contrasted with another that framed the opportunity as a way to gain valuable skills. Participants also reported their prior experience working with children. Results from a linear regression analysis supported the hypotheses, suggesting that each of the two avenues contributed independently to the likelihood of volunteering among people who also report time horizons as limited.