Volunteering in the Cultural Sector
11.49 According to the Citizenship Survey published in 2003 by the Home Office, the South West has the highest participation rates for all forms of volunteering activity of the English regions. This may in part be due to the region’s demographic ageing trend, older people being more likely to be engaged in volunteering. Sport England Active People Survey findings show an above average rate for the South West (5.2%) of volunteering in sport compared to the national average of 4.7%.
11.50 In 2006 6,800 individuals volunteered within the South West’s museums, libraries and archives (DCMS ‘A Giving Culture’ 2006). Despite the ever increasing ageing population peculiar to our region, 48% of volunteers within the South West region were under the age of 65 years old according to research in 2005 (The Institute for Volunteering Research 2005).
11.51 Although there is a paucity of research data on volunteering in the cultural sector, a recent report, Resolve Consulting 2006, found 86% of volunteers in the South West are aged 55+ compared to 72% nationally. The South West has the highest percentage of disabled people (12%) volunteering, compared to 9% nationally.