EXPLORING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SOCIAL CAPITAL AND VOLUNTEERING ACROSS CONTEXTS

Abstract

With the decline in social capital and volunteering rates in the United States, there is a cause for concern, especially since the decline is evident in college-aged individuals. With limited government spending on social programs and recurring crises like natural disasters and novel disease outbreaks, the need for volunteers will continue to increase. This dissertation investigates how social capital can be utilized to promote volunteering. It studies the relationship between social capital and volunteering at both the institutional and community levels of analysis. The study begins with a comprehensive scoping review of the literature. Chapter 2 examines the relationship between social capital and volunteering. Substantial research examines the causal linkages between social capital and volunteering, but it is scattered across multiple academic disciplines and types of volunteering. Further, researchers consider social capital either as a cause of volunteering, or volunteering as a cause of the growth in social capital. This makes directionality a point of significant debate, which is captured in the review. It also examines the volunteering fields that have been studied, the methods and theories used for these studies, and the specific indicators for measuring social capital. The study finds that most studies confirm social capital is developed through volunteering. It concludes with future research directions addressing the gaps identified in the volunteer sector, theory, methods, and measures. Chapter 3 starts with a broad view of declining government spending and the associated increase in the overall need for volunteers over time. However, this contrasts with the fact that volunteering rates have been declining in recent years, especially among college-aged individuals. This study fills a gap in the literature by examining how social capital and various institutional factors influence volunteering rates among college students. The study utilizes multiple linear regression analysis using data from the Social Capital Atlas and the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System. The results show a positive association between two of the indicators used to measure social capital and volunteering rates. The results of the study shed light on the critical importance of social capital and other institutional factors on college student volunteering. These insights can guide interventions designed to promote volunteerism. Finally, Chapter 4 examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the relationship between social capital and volunteering. Most studies discuss community resilience, whereas others consider COVID-19 policies as a disruptor of social relations with the implemented measures such as masking and social distancing shutdowns. This chapter presents statistical analyses using Census data of US counties to test the relationship between social capital and volunteering before (2018-19) and during (2020-21) the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings show the change in the dynamics of the relationship as pre-COVID-19, where higher social capital was associated with lower volunteering rates, whereas during the pandemic counties with higher levels of social capital had higher levels of informal volunteering.