Volunteering as a public health issue: Barriers to participation

Introduction Volunteering is acknowledged to benefit individual, community, and population health and wellbeing. However, those who have the most to gain from volunteering are often least likely to take part. There are questions about how to ensure all groups, especially those who experience social exclusion, can benefit from volunteering. This presentation reports on a rapid review of volunteering, public health and inequalities, with a focus on the barriers to volunteering experienced by population groups with characteristics protected under the Equality Act 2010 (i.e. age, disability, gender, pregnancy/maternity, ethnicity, relationship status, religion, sexual orientation). Methods A rapid review of evidence describing barriers to volunteering experienced by each of the ‘protected characteristics’ was undertaken. After searching and screening, 98 relevant papers were identified across peer-reviewed and grey literature. Data were extracted and evidence synthesised across each of the groups. Results A varied number of papers were identified for each protected characteristic. ‘Age’ (n=23) and ‘sexual orientation’ (n=0) and ‘pregnancy/maternity’ (n=0) were the most and least common respectively. The greatest number of barriers were identified for ‘age’, ‘disability’, and ‘gender’, possibly due to limited research in other areas. There were some cross cutting barriers but also distinct barriers were identified in relation to specific groups. Conclusion Barriers to volunteering are not experienced homogenously within or across protected characteristic groups. The relationship between protected characteristics and barriers to volunteering is complex. The findings help identify appropriate processes promoting social inclusion to ensure all groups can benefit from volunteering. Funding was provided by Volunteering Matters.