State policy in the field of volunteering: trends and prospects (on the example of the city of Yaroslavl)

Abstract

The article raises the issues of the development of the volunteer movement. In the framework of the presented sociological study, conducted in march – october 2020 by a group of scientists of the Yaroslavl state pedagogical university named after K. D. Ushinsky, the attitude of the residents of Yaroslavl to volunteerism and their understanding of this activity is studied. The authors made an attempt to identify the motives that may encourage the population to participate in volunteerism, and the main reasons for the low level of volunteerism in the region. The authors found that a significant part of the city's residents have no experience of volunteering. There is such an experience mainly among schoolchildren, students and working youth. At the same time, the majority of respondents, regardless of age and gender characteristics, positively assesses volunteer activity and considers it extremely relevant at the present time. Minors, regardless of gender, are also convinced of the demand for volunteering, but do not know how to become a volunteer. The same trend with regard to volunteering is observed among working youth, employees and people over 50 years of age. At the same time, the survey showed the reluctance of the majority of residents, regardless of age and gender, to engage in volunteer activities. It was found that the main reason for refusing to participate in volunteering is the lack of interest in this type of activity, and the motivation for it, according to the majority of respondents, is the need to help people. According to the results of the study, it is obvious that this need is primarily possessed by women. Based on the results obtained, recommendations are made and measures are proposed to improve the effectiveness of state policy in the development of the volunteer movement.