Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of trends in the age profile of volunteers with civil society organisations in the period between 2019 and 2023.

Data on volunteering is available through the Community Life Survey, up to 2020-21.

Comparing data from 2019-20 to 2020-21 shows no change in the age profile of those who formally volunteer at least once a month. For both 2019-20 and 2020-21 respondents aged 65-74 were most likely to participate in formal volunteering at least once a month (31% in 2019-20, 22% in 2020-21), while respondents in the age group 25-34 showed lower participation compared to respondents in every other age group. Rates of participation in formal volunteering once a month were lower in 2020/21 than in 2019/20 for every age group, except respondents aged 50-64, for which there was no statistically significant difference. Rates of participation in volunteering during 2020/21 will have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Further information on volunteering trends by age can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/community-life-survey-202021-volunteering-and-charitable-giving/volunteering-and-charitable-giving-community-life-survey-202021

Latest Community Life Survey data for 2021-22, which will provide an update to these figures, is due to be published on 28th February 2023 at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/community-life-survey--2