14. What are the most popular areas of voluntary activity?

The 1997 National Survey of Volunteering shows that the most common type of voluntary task was raising or handling money (66% of current volunteers), followed by organising or helping to run an event or activity (55%), serving on a committee (36%) and providing transport (26%). The most common areas of involvement for volunteers were sport and exercise (26% of current volunteers), followed by children’s education and schools (23%), religion (23%) and health and social welfare (19%). Most volunteering had a local focus: 65% of those active in the voluntary sector were involved in an independent local group, compared with only 38% with a branch of a national organisation.

In the 2001 Home Office Citizenship Survey, the top four areas of involvement for formal volunteering were: sports/exercise (34%); children's education/schools (30%); hobbies/recreation/arts/social clubs (25%) and religion (23%). The top activities were: raising or handling money (56%); organising or helping to run an activity or event (54%); giving other practical help (direct services) (35%) and leading a group or being a member of a committee (34%).