Volunteering surges in Tennessee after COVID-era slump
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Tennessee is rediscovering its volunteer spirit after a pandemic-era slump.
Why it matters: The rebound is part of a promising embrace of community involvement across several metrics that plummeted during COVID's peak.
- The trends are documented in a new AmeriCorps report that analyzes U.S. Census Bureau data.
By the numbers: More than 33% of Tennesseans said they volunteered through a formal organization at least once between September 2022 and September 2023 — more than any other state in the Southeast.
- That's nearly 10 points higher than Tennessee's volunteering rate in 2021. It even eclipses the pre-pandemic baseline of 31.7% in 2019.
Zoom in: Residents' drive to help has continued to surge beyond the time period covered in the survey, according to Hands On Nashville.
- For instance, when a deadly tornado hit Madison last December, the volunteer agency said more than 1,000 people stepped up and logged more than 3,000 hours of work in the first month alone.
Zoom out: About 28.3% of Americans reported volunteering in 2023, up five points from 2021, according to the AmeriCorps report.
- Utah had the highest participation rate in the country at more than 46%.
- Nevada ranked the lowest at 18.6%.
The big picture: The report also found a rise in the share of Tennesseans who informally helped their neighbors, with more than 54% saying they lent a hand to someone nearby.
- The same trend was noted at the national level.
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.
- About 75% of respondents nationwide reported consuming local or political news throughout the week in 2017.
- By 2023, that figure had fallen to about 63%.
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.
How to help: If you're looking to volunteer or support your community during the holiday season, or at any point in the year, Hands On Nashville has an array of resources.