Volunteering, not so popular in Romania, survey shows

Only a small percentage of Romanians have worked as volunteers in the last year, and most of those who did were students and employees with university degrees, new data reveals. Volunteering was a choice for only 14 percent of Romanians, who mostly chose to volunteer in social services and environment protection, according to a study by the Center of Marketing and Social Prognosis. A third of Romanians say they don't have time to volunteer, while another third say they lack information about volunteering opportunities. A smaller group, 16 percent, say it's hard to find a cause to believe in. But Romanians would also be willing to work as volunteers within a company, should the company donate 20 percent of its profits to charities. Those who do volunteer, however, are young, either students or employees with university degrees, who want to show their solidarity – 40 percent, or to improve their professional experience – 15 percent. Only 7 percent of those who did volunteer were part of social economy structures. More than half of respondents in the survey said the way an organization is structured was not as important as its social involvement. Less than half – 44 percent – had heard about social economy and social entrepreneurship, but 35 percent find it hard to see these concepts at work in Romania, while a quarter believe small and medium companies are in fact social companies. The survey was carried for the Association React, during August – October 2013, and included 830 people above 15 across Romania. The error margin is of 3.4 percentage points. editor@romania-insider.com