Americans are volunteering again
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Organized volunteering and informal helping are both rising after COVID-era dips, a new AmeriCorps report finds.
Why it matters: Volunteer work is a bedrock of American civic life: assisting those in need and providing purpose to those who can help.
Driving the news: About 28.3% of Americans volunteered through a formal organization at least once between September 2022-23, per the biennial report, which is based on survey data collected by the U.S. Census Bureau.
- That's up 5 percentage points from 2021 when the pandemic disrupted almost all facets of American life — volunteer work included.
- The report also found a rise in the share of Americans who informally helped their neighbors, with more than 54% saying they lent a hand to someone nearby.
Yes, but: The share of Americans who consume news and talk about social issues either in person or online has been steadily decreasing over the last few years, the report found.
The bottom line: Despite our increasing reluctance to talk about big issues, the findings paint a broad picture of "renewed engagement in American civic life," as the report puts it.
