Percentage of youths involved in voluntary work above national average

31/07/2009
By Lynda Hong, Channel NewsAsia

SINGAPORE: The percentage of Singapore youths taking part in voluntary work is above the national average of 16.9 per cent, according to a recent survey conducted by the National University of Singapore (NUS).

The survey found that three out of 10 of its undergraduates were volunteering to help out the less fortunate.

NUS undergraduates who have volunteered from May last year to May this year have been involved in the areas of social services, education, youth, community and grassroots.

The university's inaugural Undergraduate Volunteerism and Social Giving survey polled 3,143 respondents.

A third of the surveyed said they spend two hours a month volunteering, while 23.2 per cent spend between five and 10 hours a month.

The survey also revealed that 51 per cent will consider working in the non-profit sector after graduation, while 51.8 per cent said staff of non-profit organisations should be paid wages equivalent to the market rates.

The survey was conducted by the Centre for Social Entrepreneurship and Philanthropy and the NUS Volunteer Network.

Survey results indicated that instead of the traditional multi-national corporation or smaller businesses, more students are choosing to work with social enterprises or non-profit organisations as part of their course work.

Albert Teo from the Centre for Social Entrepreneurship and Philanthropy at NUS Business School said: "Our youths, really, they are looking at other modes of operations beyond the free market economy sort of traditional businesses.

"So to me, that is very exciting. It shows that people are thinking - because we are in the midst of an economic crisis - are there alternative models as to how the economy is run."

The survey, which included undergraduates aged between 17 and 28, also found that those who volunteer are more likely to donate money to charitable organisations, as compared to those who do not.

73 per cent of volunteers who have done volunteer work in the past 12 months ending May have made a monetary donations towards a social cause or project in the past year, compared to 67.8 per cent of non-volunteers making monetary donations.