Summary of FindingsBack


 
 

1.1 Experience and Motive of Participating in Volunteer Work: Organized Volunteering

 
 

The first part of this survey was aimed at gauging the general public's experience and motive of participating in organized volunteering.

 
 

1.1.1 To begin with, our interviewers briefly explained the meaning of organized volunteering to all respondents. Result revealed that of the 1,555 respondents interviewed, more than three-quarters of them (78%) have never participated in organized volunteering (donation excluded) in contrast to 22% who said they have (Table 1).

 
 Table 1 - Experience of Participating in Organized Volunteering
 
"First of all, let me briefly explain the meaning of organized volunteering. In short, organized volunteering generally refers to any services that are provided by aspiring individuals who are willing to contribute their time and effort for no material returns. Besides, these voluntary services, such as visiting, escorting, providing clerical work, homework tutoring as well as joining Kai Fong Association and Alumnus, aim at improving the community and are organized by voluntary organizations or groups." Using this definition, have you participated in any organized volunteering excluding donation before today?
  Frequency Percentage
 Yes 348  22.4% 
 No 1,205  77.5% 
 Forgotten 0.1% 
 Total 1,555  100.0% 
 Base 1,555   
 Missing case(s)  
 
 

1.1.2 Amongst those who have ever participated in organized volunteering, more than one-quarter (27%) mentioned that the last time they volunteered was within one month and a total of 64% of this sub-sample has volunteered over the past 12 months, which is equivalent to 12% of the overall sample (Table 2).

 
 Table 2 - Last Participation in Organized Volunteering
 
(Only ask those who have participated in organized volunteering before) When was the last time that you participated in organized volunteering?
  Frequency Percentage % of total sample(Base=1,555)
 <=1 month 83  27.2%  5.3% 
 <=2 months (but >1 month) 16  5.3%  1.0% 
 <=3 months (but > 2 months) 21  6.8%  1.4% 
 <=6 months (but > 3 months) 30  9.8%  1.9% 
 <=1 year (but > 6 months) 44  14.3%  2.8% 
 <=2 years (but > 1 year) 37  12.3%  2.4% 
 <=3 years (but > 2 years) 32  10.6%  2.1% 
 > 3 years (please specify) 23  7.4%  1.5% 
 Forgotten 19  6.3%  1.2% 
 Total 305  100.0%   
 Base 348     
 Missing case(s) 43     
 
 

1.1.3 In regard to the number of hours participated in organized volunteering, excluding those who were certain that they had not participated in organized volunteering over the past 12 months, 28% reported that they have volunteered twice, and 13% only volunteered once. However, around one-fifth of them (22%) have volunteered much more frequently with eleven times or more within the said period. Taking the average of all definite answers provided by these respondents, each of them volunteered 11.9 times in the year past (Table 3). Meanwhile, the average number of hours they volunteered in the year past was 34.8 hours (Table 4). When asked to estimate how much each working hour was worth if the volunteer work they provided were to be done by paid workers of a private organization, the answer varied within a wide range from HK$0 to HK$3,000. The average figure was HK$76 per hour, and the median HK$30 per hour (Table 5).

 
 Table 3 - Number of Times Participated in Organized Volunteering over the past 12 months
 
(Excluding those who are certain that they have not participated in organized volunteering over the past 12 months) (Exact numbers) How many times have you participated in volunteering over the past 12 months?
  Frequency Percentage % of total sample(Base = 1,555)
 1 time 16  13.2%  1.0% 
 2 times 35  28.1%  2.3% 
 3 times 14  10.9%  0.9% 
 4 times 7.0%  0.6% 
 5 times 7.2%  0.6% 
 6 times 3.8%  0.3% 
 7 times 2.2%  0.2% 
 8 times 1.1%  0.1% 
 9 times 1.1%  0.1% 
 10 times 3.5%  0.3% 
 11 times or above 27  22.0%  1.7% 
 Total 124  100.0%   
 Mean 11.9     
 Standard error 2.41     
 Median 3.0     
 Maximum 208     
 Base 256     
 Missing case(s) (including 61 "forgotten") 132     
 
 Table 4 - Number of Hours Participated in Organized Volunteering over the past 12 months
 
(Excluding those who are certain that they have not participated in organized volunteering over the past 12 months) How many hours have you participated in volunteering over the past 12 months? (Exact numbers, but could be inferred from the no. of hours per week.)
  Frequency Percentage % of total sample(Base = 1,555)
 1 - 5 hours 31  24.9%  2.0% 
 6 - 10 hours 27  21.4%  1.7% 
 11 - 15 hours 11  8.7%  0.7% 
 16 - 20 hours 13  10.6%  0.8% 
 21 - 25 hours 4.8%  0.4% 
 26 -30 hours 11  8.6%  0.7% 
 31 hours or above 26  21.0%  1.7% 
 Total 124  100.0%   
 Mean 34.8     
 Standard error 6.42     
 Median 12.0     
 Maximum 600     
 Base 256     
 Missing case(s) (including 65 "forgotten") 132     
 
 Table 5 - Perceived Hourly Rate of Organized Volunteer Work
 
(Excluding those who are certain that they have not participated in organized volunteering over the past 12 months) Assuming that the volunteer work that you provided over the past 12 months are to be done by paid workers of a private organization, how much do you think each working hour is worth? By this, we want to estimate the contribution made by volunteers in Hong Kong. (Exact numbers)
  Frequency Percentage % of total sample(Base = 1,555)
 $0 - 9 6.1%  0.4% 
 $10 - 19 13  12.8%  0.8% 
 $20 - 29 30  30.3%  1.9% 
 $30 - 39 15  15.4%  1.0% 
 $40 - 49 6.2%  0.4% 
 $50 - 59 12  12.5%  0.8% 
 $60 or above 17  16.7%  1.1% 
 Total 99  100.0%   
 Mean $76.3     
 Standard error $30.04     
 Median $30.0     
 Maximum $3,000     
 Base 256     
 Missing case(s) (including 92 "forgotten") 157     
 
 

1.1.4 When asked for what type of organization they have participated in organized volunteering, results showed that most of these volunteers participated in the volunteer work organized by educational organizations, religious bodies as well as social service organizations (each accounted for around 14% of total responses and mentioned by around 15% of the sub-sample, Table 6).

 
 Table 6 - Main Service Recipients over the past 12 months
 
(Excluding those who are certain that they have not participated in organized volunteering over the past 12 months) For which type of organization(s) have you participated in organized volunteering over the past 12 months? (Did not read out the answers, multiple responses up to 10, answers classified by interviewers)
  Frequency % of total responses(Base=167 responses from 154 respondents) % of total sample(Base=1,555)
 Educational organizations 24  14.4%  1.5% 
 Social service groups in school: students' association 16  9.5%  1.0% 
 Social service groups in school: parents-teachers' association 2.8%  0.3% 
 Alumni associations 1.8%  0.2% 
 Religious bodies 23  13.6%  1.5% 
 Social service organizations 22  13.3%  1.4% 
 Medical and health assn's / hospitals 16  9.9%  1.0% 
 District service organizations 16  9.6%  1.0% 
 District Committees 3.4%  0.4% 
 Kai Fong Associations 2.8%  0.3% 
 Owners' corporations 2.0%  0.2% 
 Mutual Aid Committees 1.4%  0.1% 
 Government departments 4.0%  0.5% 
 Agency for Volunteer Service 3.5%  0.4% 
 Uniform groups 2.9%  0.3% 
 Occupational unions 2.1%  0.2% 
 Recreational and cultural organ'ns 1.5%  0.1% 
 Clanship associations 1.0%  0.1% 
 Others (please specify) 21  12.5%  1.4% 
 Don't know / hard to say 21  12.3%  1.4% 
 Total 167  100.0%   
 Base 256     
 Missing case(s) 102     
 
 

1.1.5 Respondents were further asked what kind of volunteering service they have participated in. "Visiting" topped the list which accounted for 38% of these volunteers (i.e. 8% of the overall sample), and the second most popular service was associated with recreational activities (21%) while other services like "medical service", "fund raising activities", "counseling" and "clerical work" were each mentioned by less than 10% of these volunteers (Table 7).

 
 Table 7 - Nature of Volunteering Service Participated in
 
(Only ask those who have participated in organized volunteering before) What kind of volunteering service have you participated in? (Did not read out answers, multiple responses allowed)
  Frequency % of total responses(Base=425 responses from 334 respondents) % of total sample(Base = 1,555)
 Visiting 126  29.8% (37.7%)  8.1% 
 Recreational activities 70  16.6% (21.0%)  4.5% 
 Medical service 24  5.6% (7.2%)  1.5% 
 Fund raising activities 22  5.2% (6.6%)  1.4% 
 Counseling 19  4.5% (5.7%)  1.2% 
 Clerical work 17  4.1% (5.1%)  1.1% 
 Promotion and community-education 16  3.9% (4.8%)  1.0% 
 Baby-sitting / day care service 14  3.4% (4.2%)  0.9% 
 Labour work 14  3.3% (4.2%)  0.9% 
 Elderly care service 13  3.0% (3.9%)  0.8% 
 Homework tutoring 11  2.6% (3.3%)  0.7% 
 Housework assistance 11  2.6% (3.3%)  0.7% 
 Befriending service 11  2.5% (3.3%)  0.7% 
 Escorting service 2.1% (2.7%)  0.6% 
 Art and design 1.5% (1.8%)  0.4% 
 Survey service 1.0% (1.2%)  0.3% 
 Skill coaching 0.3% (0.3%)  0.1% 
 Editing and publishing service 0.3% (0.3%)  0.1% 
 Others (please specify) 23  5.3% (6.9%)  1.5% 
 Don't know/ hard to say 10  2.5% (3.0%)  0.6% 
 Total 425  100.0%    
 Base 348     
 Missing case(s) 14     
 

Figure in ( ) indicates corresponding % out of the sub-sample of this question, i.e.334 respondents.

 
 

1.1.6 In order to pave the way for AVS's promotional strategies, channels through which volunteers learned about volunteering were examined. Results showed that one-third (34%) of these volunteers learned it through their friends, another 19% learned it through their schools or teachers, 9% learned it through religious bodies, another 9% learned it through social service organizations (Table 8).

 
 Table 8 - Channels for Learning about Ways to Participate in Volunteering
 
(Only ask those who have participated in organized volunteering before) Through what channels do you learn about ways to participate in volunteering?
  Frequency Percentage % of total sample(Base = 1,555)
 Referral by friends 103  34.0%  6.6% 
 Schools/ teachers 57  18.6%  3.7% 
 Referral by family members 11  3.7%  0.7% 
 Referral by relatives 2.1%  0.4% 
 Religious bodies 26  8.6%  1.7% 
 Social service organizations 26  8.5%  1.7% 
 Newspapers 10  3.3%  0.6% 
 Magazines 0.7%  0.1% 
 Radio 0.4%  0.1% 
 Television 0.3%  0.1% 
 Internet 0.8%  0.2% 
 Others (please specify) 47  15.4%  3.0% 
 Don't know / hard to say 11  3.5%  0.7% 
 Total 304  100.0%   
 Base 348     
 Missing case(s) 44     
 
 

1.1.7 As for the reasons why they participated in volunteer work, 40% of these volunteers claimed that they wanted to help others (i.e. 9% of the overall sample), 21% simply did it to kill time. Other reasons such as "to make friends", "to gain skills and knowledge" and "religion" were each mentioned by around 5% of these volunteers (Table 9).

 
 Table 9 - Reasons for Participating in Volunteer Work
 
(Only ask those who have participated in organized volunteering before) Why do you participate in volunteer work?
  Frequency Percentage % of total sample(Base = 1,555)
 To help others 134  40.0%  8.6% 
 To kill time 70  21.0%  4.5% 
 To make friends 19  5.7%  1.2% 
 To gain skills and knowledge 16  4.7%  1.0% 
 Religion 14  4.3%  0.9% 
 To gain work/social experience 13  3.8%  0.8% 
 Encouraged/influenced by others 12  3.5%  0.8% 
 Self-actualization 2.3%  0.5% 
 Citizen responsibility 1.3%  0.3% 
 To improve the community 0.8%  0.2% 
 Others (please specify) 34  10.1%  2.2% 
 Don't know / hard to say 2.7%  0.6% 
 Total 335  100.0%   
 Base 348     
 Missing case(s) 13     
 
 

1.1.8 On the other hand, opinions were split in regard to the needs for training before participating in volunteer work. Almost half of these respondents (47%) said it was necessary to receive training, as compared to 46% who thought it was unnecessary (Table 10).

 
 Table 10 - Need for Training before Participating in Volunteer Work
 
(Only ask those who have participated in organized volunteering before) Do you think it is necessary to receive training before participating in volunteer work?
  Frequency Percentage % of total sample(Base = 1,555)
 Yes 164  47.1%  10.5% 
 No 160  45.9%  10.3% 
 Doesn't matter 24  6.9%  1.5% 
 Total 348  100.0%   
 Base 348     
 Missing case(s)    
 
 

1.2 Experience of Participating in Volunteer Work: Mutual Aid

 
 

The second part of the survey studied the general public's experience of participating in mutual aid, which is defined in this survey as "the spontaneous and self-initiated behaviors aiming to help others without planning in advance and would occur from time to time".

 
 

1.2.1 After a brief explanation on the meaning of mutual aid, more than half of the respondents (55%) claimed that they have participated in this kind of volunteer work before (donation excluded) while 44% said not (Table 11). Of those who have ever participated in mutual aid, most of them (42% of the sub-sample) had done it as recently as within last month. However, more than one-third (37%) of them have forgotten when they did it last time (Table 12).

 
 Table 11 - Experience of Participating in Mutual Aid
 
"Now, let me briefly explain the meaning of mutual aid. Simply speaking, mutual aid refers to the spontaneous behaviors aiming to help others that are not organized and would happen from time to time. For example, helping the elderly cross the roads, helping your elderly neighbor shop for daily necessity and taking care of neighbor's children." Using this definition, have you participated in any mutual aid excluding donation before today?
  Frequency Percentage
 Yes 859  55.3% 
 No 684  44.0% 
 Forgotten 12  0.7% 
 Total 1,555  100.0% 
 Base 1,555   
 Missing case(s)  
 
 Table 12 - Last Participation in Mutual Aid
 
(Only ask those who have participated in mutual aid before) When was the last time that you participated in mutual aid?
  Frequency Percentage % of total sample(Base = 1,555)
 <=1 month 352  41.8%  22.6% 
 <=2 months (but >1 month) 56  6.6%  3.6% 
 <=3 months (but > 2 months) 34  4.0%  2.2% 
 <=6 months (but > 3 months) 31  3.6%  2.0% 
 <=1 year (but > 6 months) 29  3.5%  1.9% 
 <=2 years (but > 1 year) 15  1.8%  1.0% 
 <=3 years (but > 2 years) 1.1%  0.6% 
 > 3 years (please specify) 0.8%  0.4% 
 Forgotten 311  36.9%  20.0% 
 Total 843  100.0%   
 Base 859     
 Missing case(s) 16     
 
 

1.2.2 Regarding the number of times they have participated in mutual aid, excluding those who were certain that they have not done it over the past 12 months, 40% reported that they have volunteered up to 3 times, while 15% have done it 20 times or more within one year's time. On average (265 definite answers), each volunteered 18.5 times over the past 12 months (Table 13). Moreover, from the total number of hours they reported, the average volunteer time per these volunteers was estimated to be 21.9 hours in the year past (Table 14). When asked to estimate how much each working hour was worth if the volunteer work they provided were to be done by paid workers of a private organization, the average figure was HK$32 per hour, and the median HK$30 per hour (Table 15).

 
 Table 13 - Number of Times Participated in Mutual Aid over the past 12 months
 
(Excluding those who are certain that they have not participated in mutual aid over the past 12 months) (Exact numbers) How many times have you participated in mutual aid over the past 12 months?
  Frequency Percentage % of total sample(Base = 1,555)
 1 time 16  6.2%  1.0% 
 2 times 42  15.8%  2.7% 
 3 times 48  18.3%  3.1% 
 4 times 25  9.6%  1.6% 
 5 times 20  7.4%  1.3% 
 6 times 2.8%  0.5% 
 7 times 1.3%  0.3% 
 8 times 3.0%  0.5% 
 9 times 0.0%  0.0% 
 10 times 29  10.8%  1.9% 
 11 - 19 times 27  10.2%  1.7% 
 20 times or above 39  14.6%  2.5% 
 Total 265  100.0%   
 Mean 18.5     
 Standard error 3.44     
 Median 5.0     
 Maximum 400     
 Base 829     
 Missing case(s) (including 527 "forgotten") 564     
 
 Table 14 - Number of Hours Participated in Mutual Aid over the past 12 months
 
(Excluding those who are certain that they have not participated in mutual aid over the past 12 months) How many hours have you participated in mutual aid over the past 12 months? (Exact numbers, but could be inferred from the no. of hours per week.)
  Frequency Percentage % of total sample(Base = 1,555)
 1 hour 52  30.6%  3.3% 
 2 hours 30  17.9%  1.9% 
 3 hours 12  7.4%  0.8% 
 4 hours 3.1%  0.3% 
 5 hours 4.5%  0.5% 
 6 - 10 hours 20  11.8%  1.3% 
 11 - 15 hours 12  6.9%  0.8% 
 16 hours or above 30  17.9%  1.9% 
 Total 170  100.0%   
 Mean 21.9     
 Standard error 6.61     
 Median 3.0     
 Maximum 730     
 Base 829     
 Missing case(s) (including 614 "forgotten") 659     
 
 Table 15 - Perceived Hourly Rate of Mutual Aid
 
(Excluding those who are certain that they have not participated in mutual aid over the past 12 months) Assuming that the volunteer work that you provided over the past 12 months are to be done by paid workers of a private organization, how much do you think each working hour is worth? By this, we want to estimate the contribution made by volunteers in Hong Kong. (Exact numbers)
  Frequency Percentage % of total sample(Base = 1,555)
 $0 - 9 37  12.7%  2.4% 
 $10 - 19 33  11.0%  2.1% 
 $20 - 29 70  23.7%  4.5% 
 $30 - 39 61  20.7%  3.9% 
 $40 - 49 26  8.8%  1.7% 
 $50 - 59 44  15.0%  2.8% 
 $60 or above 24  8.1%  1.5% 
 Total 296  100.0%   
 Mean $32.4     
 Standard error $1.83     
 Median $30.0     
 Maximum $300     
 Base 829     
 Missing case(s) (including 473 "forgotten") 533     
 
 

1.3 Intention and Reasons for Future Volunteering

 
 

1.3.1 Regarding the current volunteers' intention to continue volunteering in the future (including organized volunteering and mutual aid), 83% of them said they would, less than 10% of them said "no" (Table 16).

 
 Table 16 - Intention for Participating in Volunteering again
 
(Only ask those who have participated in volunteer work) Will you continue to volunteer in the future?
  Frequency Percentage % of total sample(Base = 1,555)
 Yes 761  82.6%  48.9% 
 No 75  8.2%  4.8% 
 Don't know / hard to say 85  9.2%  5.5% 
 Total 921  100.0%   
 Base 968     
 Missing case(s) 47     
 
 

1.3.2 The main hindrance for those who said they would not continue to volunteer in the future (accounted for 8%; 75 respondents) was mainly due to the lack of time (73% of the sub-sample, 53 respondents), whereas "physically unfit" was mentioned by only a few (11% of the sub-sample, 8 respondents, Table 17).

 
 Table 17 - Reasons for not Volunteer in the future
 
(Only ask those who will not continue to volunteer in the future) Why not?
  Frequency Percentage % of total sample(Base = 1,555)
 Lack of time 53  72.9%  3.4% 
 Physically unfit 10.7%  0.5% 
 No monetary returns 4.9%  0.3% 
 Forbidden by family 1.9%  0.1% 
 Not interested 1.3%  0.1% 
 Avoidance of the crowd 1.3%  0.1% 
 Others (please specify) 4.7%  0.2% 
 Don't know / hard to say 2.4%  0.1% 
 Total 72  100.0%   
 Base 74     
 Missing case(s)    
 
 

1.3.3 On the other hand, for respondents who did not volunteer in the past, their main reason was again the "lack of time" (64% of the sub-sample), followed by "physically unfit" (14% of the sub-sample) at a distance. In other words, time and physical condition of the respondents were the main explicit barriers for volunteering (Table 18).

 
 Table 18 - Reasons for not Participating in Volunteer Work
 
(Only ask those who have never participated in volunteer work) Why don't you participate in volunteer work?
  Frequency Percentage % of total sample(Base = 1,555)
 Lack of time 228  64.4%  14.7% 
 Physically unfit 49  13.8%  3.2% 
 Not interested 26  7.5%  1.7% 
 Not knowing the way to join 15  4.3%  1.0% 
 No monetary returns 2.0%  0.5% 
 Not knowing what it is about 0.8%  0.2% 
 Avoidance of the crowd 0.2%  0.1% 
 Don't know / hard to say 25  7.1%  1.6% 
 Total 354  100.0%   
 Base 587     
 Missing case(s) 233     
 
 

1.3.4 The same question on future intention was asked among those who have never participated in volunteer work before (587 respondents). It is found that less than half of these respondents (40%) would consider volunteering in the future as contrast to 83% among current volunteers (Table 19). Concerning their motive, two-thirds (66%) of these potential volunteers were driven by their desire to help others whilst 22% said they would do it to kill time (Table 20).

 
 Table 19 - Intention for Future Volunteering
 
(Only ask those who have never participated in volunteer work) Would you consider to volunteer in the future?
  Frequency Percentage % of total sample(Base = 1,555)
 Yes 231  39.5%  14.9% 
 No 215  36.8%  13.8% 
 Don't know / hard to say 138  23.7%  8.9% 
 Total 584  100.0%   
 Base 587     
 Missing case(s)    
 
 Table 20 - Reasons for Future Participation in Volunteer Work
 
(Only ask those who would consider to volunteer in the future) Why?
  Frequency Percentage % of total sample(Base = 1,555)
 To help others 65  65.5%  4.2% 
 To kill time 22  21.8%  1.4% 
 To improve the community 3.2%  0.2% 
 To make friends 2.7%  0.2% 
 Citizen responsibility 2.6%  0.2% 
 Encouraged/influenced by others 1.6%  0.1% 
 To gain skills and knowledge 0.9%  0.1% 
 Don't know / hard to say 1.7%  0.1% 
 Total 99  100.0%   
 Base 231     
 Missing case(s) 132     
 
 

1.3.5 Apart from their personal experience, all respondents were then asked what they thought were the main reasons for people who participated in volunteering. By the same token, "to help others" topped the list which accounted for 72% of the overall sample, followed at a distance by the reasons "to serve the community" (33%) and "to kill time" (24%; Table 21).

 
 Table 21 - General Motivations for Other People who Participated in Volunteering
 
What do you think are the main reasons for those who participate in volunteering? (Read out answers, multiple responses allowed.)
  Frequency Percentage % of total sample(Base = 1,555)
 To help others 1,123  35.9%  72.2% 
 To serve the community 512  16.4%  32.9% 
 To kill time 366  11.7%  23.5% 
 To enrich knowledge 278  8.9%  17.9% 
 To make friends 257  8.2%  16.5% 
 To gain work/social experience 215  6.9%  13.8% 
 To reveal hidden potential 132  4.2%  8.5% 
 For self-promotion 30  1.0%  1.9% 
 Others (please specify) 46  1.5%  3.0% 
 Don't know / hard to say 167  5.4%  10.7% 
 Total 3,127  100.0%   
 Base 1,555     
 Missing case(s)    
 
 

1.3.6 On the other hand, they believed the most prominent reason for people not participating in volunteer work was because they could not afford the time (55%), and because volunteering could be troublesome (23%; Table 22).

 
 Table 22 - General Hindrances for People who do not Participate in Volunteering
 
What do you think are the main hindrances for those who do not volunteer? (Read out answers, multiple responses allowed)
  Frequency Percentage % of total sample(Base = 1,555)
 A waste of time/ lack of time 852  38.4%  54.8% 
 Troublesome / need to attend meetings 351  15.8%  22.6% 
 A waste of money 208  9.4%  13.4% 
 Inadequate publicity 187  8.4%  12.0% 
 Care less for homework/work 150  6.7%  9.6% 
 Care less for family 128  5.8%  8.2% 
 Not knowing what volunteer work is 102  4.6%  6.6% 
 Afraid of being exploited 76  3.4%  4.9% 
 Making bad friends 42  1.9%  2.7% 
 Being selfish 34  1.5%  2.2% 
 No monetary returns 20  0.9%  1.3% 
 Others (please specify) 69  3.1%  4.4% 
 Total 2,217  100.0%   
 Base 1,555     
 Missing case(s) 344     
 
 

1.4 Social Influence

 
 

1.4.1 According to the results of this survey, 59% of the general public has never encouraged others to participate in volunteering whilst two-thirds (68%) of them have never been encouraged by people around either (Tables 23 and 24). For those who have been encouraged to volunteer (502 respondents), the main source of that encouragement came from their friends (57%). The second most popular source was their schoolmates, accounting for 10%, while family members came third, accounting for 9% (Table 25).

 
 Table 23 - Experience of Encouraging Others to Participate in Volunteering
 
Have you ever encouraged others to participate in volunteering, which include organized volunteering and mutual aid?
  Frequency Percentage
 Yes 640  41.2% 
 No 915  58.8% 
 Total 1,555  100.0% 
 Base 1,555   
 Missing case(s)  
 
 Table 24 - Experience of being Encouraged to Participate in Volunteering
 
Have other people ever encouraged you to participate in volunteering?
  Frequency Percentage
 Yes 502  32.3% 
 No 1,053  67.7% 
 Total 1,555  100.0% 
 Base 1,555   
 Missing case(s)  
 
 Table 25 - Main Source of Encouragement
 
(Only ask those who have been encouraged to participate in volunteering) Then what is the main source of that encouragement?
  Frequency Percentage % of total sample(Base = 1,555)
 Friends 275  56.7%  17.7% 
 Schoolmates 46  9.6%  3.0% 
 Family members 42  8.7%  2.7% 
 Colleagues 34  7.1%  2.2% 
 Teachers 23  4.7%  1.5% 
 Relatives 15  3.1%  1.0% 
 Members in the religious body 11  2.2%  0.7% 
 Social workers 1.8%  0.6% 
 Neighbors 0.7%  0.3% 
 Others (please specify) 15  3.2%  1.0% 
 Don't know / hard to say 11  2.2%  0.7% 
 Total 484  100.0%   
 Base 502     
 Missing case(s) 18     
 
 

1.5 Evaluation of the Barriers and Expectations of Volunteering

 
 

The last part of the survey was aimed at evaluating the barriers to the local development of volunteering as well as people's expectations of volunteering.

 
 

1.5.1 Twenty-two percent of the respondents thought that the main barrier to the local development of volunteering (including organized volunteering and mutual aid) was people's lack of time. This result was very much consistent with the previous observations. Another 14% thought that the poor economic condition these days was also an obstacle to the development of volunteering, while 10% blamed the lack of resources injected into this aspect. However, 29% of the respondents failed to give a definite answer (Table 26).

 
 Table 26 - Barriers to the Local Development of Volunteering
 
What do you think is the main barrier to the local development of volunteering (including organized volunteering and mutual aid) nowadays? (Did not read out answers, single response allowed)
  Frequency Percentage
 Lack of time of HK people 329  21.7% 
 Poor economic condition 208  13.8% 
 Lack of resources 152  10.0% 
 Lack of atmosphere for volunteering 87  5.8% 
 Lack of care for others of HK people 87  5.7% 
 Insufficient assistance from the government 48  3.2% 
 Insufficient promotion 46  3.0% 
 Influence of the mass media 32  2.1% 
 Insufficient civic education 14  0.9% 
 Non-respect for volunteers 0.4% 
 Others (please specify) 58  3.8% 
 Don't know / hard to say 449  29.6% 
 Total 1,516  100.0% 
 Base 1,555   
 Missing case(s) 39   
 
 

1.5.2 When further asked how to improve the situation, an even higher proportion of respondents (43%) did not have any idea. Suggestions provided by some of them included "to improve the economic condition" (12%), "to inject more resources" (8%) and "to cultivate the atmosphere for volunteering" (7%; Table 27).

 
 Table 27 - Ways to Promote Local Volunteer Service
 
Then do you have any suggestion to improve the situation? (Did not read out answers, single response allowed)
  Frequency Percentage
 To improve the economic condition 183  12.0% 
 To inject more resources 116  7.6% 
 To cultivate the atmosphere for volunteering 104  6.8% 
 More promotion 96  6.3% 
 More governmental assistance 90  5.9% 
 To cultivate the care for others among HK people 90  5.9% 
 To improve the conduct of the mass media 57  3.8% 
 More civic education 36  2.3% 
 Better social welfare 26  1.7% 
 More compliments to the volunteers 21  1.4% 
 Others (please specify) 47  3.1% 
 Don't know / hard to say 656  43.1% 
 Total 1,521  100.0% 
 Base 1,555   
 Missing case(s) 34   
 
 

1.5.3 In their opinion, the development of local volunteering should ideally be supported by the government (38%); although comparable amount of people believed that it should be the responsibilities of people in Hong Kong (26%) and then non-government organizations (21%; Table 28).

 
 Table 28 - The Ideal Supporting Body for Developing Local Volunteering
 
In your opinion, the development of local volunteering should ideally be supported by….… (Read out the first three answers, single response allowed.)
  Frequency Percentage
 The government 580  37.7% 
 People in Hong Kong 393  25.6% 
 Non-government organizations 316  20.6% 
 All of the above 26  1.7% 
 Others (please specify) 32  2.1% 
 Don't know / hard to say 191  12.4% 
 Total 1,539  100.0% 
 Base 1,555   
 Missing case(s) 16   
 
 

1.5.4 Finally, more than half of the respondents (56%) in this survey described the social status of volunteers in Hong Kong as being respectable while 17% described their status as being non-essential and one-quarter (25%) failed to make a judgment by saying "don't know" (Table 29).

 
 Table 29 - Perceived Social Status of Volunteers in Hong Kong
 
How would you describe the social status of volunteers in Hong Kong?
  Frequency Percentage
 Respectable 867  56.2% 
 Non-essential 263  17.0% 
 Not respected 25  1.6% 
 Don't know / hard to say 387  25.1% 
 Total 1,543  100.0% 
 Base 1,555   
 Missing case(s) 12