volunteering applications and methodology
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Volunteering Applications and methodology. Applied Social Psychology VU University Amsterdam January 21, 2014 René Bekkers Philanthropic Studies VU University Amsterdam [email protected]. Today’s story. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
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VolunteeringApplications and
methodologyApplied Social PsychologyVU University Amsterdam
January 21, 2014
René BekkersPhilanthropic Studies
VU University [email protected]
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Today’s story
• How can we use insights from social psychology theories and research to get people to give and volunteer more?
• Today’s story is not about tricks - ‘nudging’ and ‘priming’.
• Instead, it is about theory, data, and methodology.
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The Empirical Cycle
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Context
1. “Participation society”: volunteers become more important in the provision of public goods.
2. “Trust crisis”: trust in banks, organized religion, politics, and ultimately generalized social trust are at risk.
3. In an ageing society, keeping people active as long as possible may reduce health costs.
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Research Questions
1. Does volunteering make people more trusting?
2. Does volunteering keep people healthy?
…leaving the question ‘How can we get people to volunteer more?’ for a future occasion.
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Now here’s a social dilemma
Should I volunteer?
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This is a social dilemma because
• There is an opportunity cost for me: volunteering takes time that I could spend working for pay.
• The benefits of volunteering accrue to a collective.
• Personally I would be better off not volunteering, but the group would not.
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What type of social dilemma?Trust game
Dictator gameUltimatum game
Public goods gameVolunteer’s dilemmaSamaritan’s dilemmaOr something else?
Perhaps it is not a social dilemma at all.
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Three facts
1. Volunteers live in better health.2. Volunteers are less likely to get
depressed.3. Volunteers ultimately live longer.
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More facts
• Volunteers have larger and more diverse social networks.
• Volunteers have more altruistic values, a stronger sense of social responsibility, and a stronger belief in the trustworthiness of others.
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So…
• If these are the results of voluntary participation, there is no social dilemma at all!
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But…
• Does volunteering indeed have these nice benefits for volunteers?
• Are networks, trust, health, subjective well being the result of volunteering?
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Whence the difference?
• Do the attitudes, values, networks, and health change because people volunteer?This is the common interpretation. CAUSATION:
NetworksVoluntary action Values
Health
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Whence the difference?
• Or do attitudes, values, networks, and health lead people to volunteer?This is the SELECTION Model:
NetworksValues Voluntary ActionHealth
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Or perhaps..
• The relationship between volunteering, attitudes, values, networks, and health is confounded by OMITTED VARIABLES:
Voluntary ActionOther factors
Networks Values
Health
x
e.g., education, religion
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Selection
• Selection: some people are more likely to be drawn into voluntary action.
• These are the more happy, trusting, healthy, people with larger networks.
• They are more likely to start volunteering, and they are less likely to quit volunteering.
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A theory on selection for values
• ‘Interactionism’ in personality and social psychology
• Individual differences in prosocial values shape the attractiveness of situations that involve contributions to the well being of others
• Individuals with larger networks are more likely to be asked to start and continue volunteering
• Individuals in better health are more able to continue volunteering
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Theories on causation for values
• Group socialization theory– People adopt the values of the groups that
they are in (family, church, work)– ‘Social capital’ (attitude) formation
• Self-perception theory– People adapt their values and self-identity
to their behavior– Role identity theory: volunteer role
identity is reinforced through volunteering
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Other theories on causation
• Meeting opportunities– People gain access to new networks in
organizations through participation– ‘Social capital’ (network) formation
• Networks protect health– Information, social control, access to
social support, stress buffering effect• Personality strength
– Mastery, self-efficacy, purpose in life
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Data and methods of previous studies
• Many studies use cross-sectional data, including a limited set of controls.
• Selection and omitted variables are a huge problem here.
• Studies using longitudinal panel data have almost all used inadequate regression models.
• Selection and omitted variables are still a problem here.
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Adequate Testing, Please!
• The conventional ‘change model’ includes a lagged dependent variable Yt-1
• Halaby (2004, Annual Review of Sociology) shows this is not enough.
• The Yt-1 does not rule out selection effects.
• Use fixed effects regression models, eliminating variance between individuals
• Previous studies have rarely used this.
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Giving in the Netherlands Panel Study (GINPS)
• A sample of individuals fills out surveys on the web every other year since 2002
• You are welcome to use these data. See the user manual at http://geveninnederland.nl/file/208/ginps_codebook.pdf
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Development of generalized social trust (‘most people can
be trusted’)
2,9
3
3,1
3,2
3,3
3,4
3,5
2002 2004 2006
never
quit
joined
sustained
Source: GINPSBekkers, R. (2012). ‘Trust and Volunteering: Selection or Causation? Evidence From a 4 Year
Panel Study’. Political Behaviour, 34: 225-247, DOI 10.1007/s11109-011-9165-x (open access)
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Volunteering effects on values
Trust Altruistic values
Social responsibility
Constant 3.125 3.460 3.727
Random effects ***.096 ***.203 ***.147
Fixed effects -.034 **.058 .035
Hausman test ***22.72 ***96.62 ***30.30
Estimates on effects of volunteering (m=40%) from random and fixed effects regression models. Source: GINPS, 2002-2006 (n=4,754; 2,783). Bekkers, R. (2007). ‘Values and Volunteering. A Longitudinal Study of Reciprocal Influences in the Giving in the Netherlands Panel Study’. Paper presented at the 36th Arnova conference, Atlanta, 2007.
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Similar results in other countriesSwitzerland
(SHP)UK
(BHPS)Australia (HILDA)
Random effects ***.957 ***.182 ***.485
Fixed effects -.053 ***.033 .034
First difference .025 ***.049 .039
Estimates on effects of volunteering in Switzerland (m=32%), the UK (21%) and Australia (18%) from between and fixed effects logistic regression models of trust. Van Ingen, E. & Bekkers, R. (2013). Trust Through Civic Engagement? Evidence from Five National Panel Studies. Political Psychology. DOI: 10.1111/pops.12105
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Effects of trust
Bekkers, R. (2012). ‘Trust and Volunteering: Selection or Causation? Evidence From a 4 Year Panel Study’. Political Behaviour, 34: 225-247, DOI 10.1007/s11109-011-9165-x (open access)
A one SD increase in trust is associated with a 2.3% increase in the likelihood of starting to volunteer, 3.5% decrease in quitting, and 8.3% increase in the likelihood of being asked to volunteer
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Selection and omitted variables+ Start t0-2
Altruistic values t0
-+
Quit t0-2
Trust t0 +
+ Confidence t1
+ Confidence t2
Based on Bekkers, R. & Bowman, W. (2009). The Relationship Between Confidence in Charitable Organizations and Volunteering Revisited. Nonprofit & Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 38 (5): 884-897.
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Effects on HealthDepression
(CESD)Subjective
health
Constant 8.809 3.540
Random effects ***-1.569 ***.163
Fixed effects ***-.814 ***.097
Hausman test ***36.96 ***19.00
Estimates on effects of volunteering on depression and subjective health from random and fixed effects models. Source: LASA, 1992-2002 (n=7,864; 2,362). Bekkers, R., Van Tilburg, T.G., Aartsen, M., Brown, S. & Wilson, J. (2007). ‘Volunteering and Health: A Prospective Study of Mediating Mechanisms’. Unpublished manuscript.
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So…
• Use longitudinal data and then still do not claim too much about effects of voluntary action.
• Selection effects are a big part of the reason why voluntary action is related to networks, values and health.
• Always check for selection effects by inspecting changes in ‘X’ as a result of changes in ‘Y’.
• Estimate fixed effects and first difference models.
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Questions on Konrath et al.
• The article uses longitudinal data, right?• How are selection effects taken into
account?• How can you check for selection effects by
inspecting changes in ‘X’ as a result of changes in ‘Y’ in this case?
• How to estimate a fixed effects model of mortality?
• How to estimate a first difference model?
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Contact• ‘Geven in Nederland’, Philanthropic
Studies, Faculteit Sociale Wetenschappen, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam: www.geveninnederland.nl
• René Bekkers, [email protected]• Blog: renebekkers.wordpress.com• Twitter: @renebekkers• Please do get in touch if you want to
write your thesis on charitable giving, volunteering, blood donation, etc.!