The Socio-Cultural Correlates of Volunteerism Among Youth in South Africa: A Cross Sectional Study of Undergraduate Students at the North-West University in South Africa

Abstract

We use a sample of undergraduate students at the North-West University in South Africa to examine the effect of the socio-cultural organization of the society on volunteerism among youth. Specifically, the binary logit regression model is employed to analyze the effects of such socio-cultural factors as age, gender, race, ethnicity, religion, family structure, maternal education, family socioeconomic status, academic performance and respondents’ perception of the importance of volunteering on five voluntary activities. We find that males, older youth, non-Africans, Afrikaans-speaking youth, and more likely to be involved in voluntary actions. Moreover, higher maternal education, regular church attendance and being a Protestant as opposed to being a Catholic are all positively associated with youth volunteering. The single most important factors with regards to youth volunteering is the youth’s perception of the importance of volunteering, a finding which underscores the role of socialization in youth volunteerism.