High School Students and Volunteerism: The Stats You Need to Know
Are you looking for ways to get involved in giving back to the community as a high school student?
If so, you’re not alone. In fact, according to recent statistics, more and more high school students are choosing to volunteer their time to worthy causes.
Let’s take a look at some of the most important statistics about high school student volunteerism rates:
Nearly 2.8 million or 28.5 percent of U.S. high schoolers aged 15 and over annually volunteered almost 237 million total volunteer hours, according to the Good Intentions, Gap in Action Do Good Institute Research Brief published in 2018.
According to DoSomething.org, 34% of high school students regularly volunteer (at least once a month).
The most popular places for high school students to volunteer are food banks or pantries, religious organizations, and hospitals or other medical facilities.
High school students who volunteered were more likely to say that their parents encouraged them to do so than those who did not volunteer. “43% of student volunteers say their parents place a lot of emphasis on community involvement. Among non-volunteers, this percentage drops to 12,” according to a 2020 Statistics Related to Youth Service report from the University of Nebraska Omaha.
Parental encouragement wasn’t the only factor that influenced high sstudent’sdents’ decision to volunteer; 45% of volunteers said that they were interested in the cause they were volunteering for, while just 25% of non-volunteers said the same.
Students who were religious were also more likely to volunteer than those who were not religious; 61% of student volunteers reported that they got involved in activities through church or a religious organization.
What do all these statistics tell us? First, they show us that high school students are increasingly interested in giving back to their communities and that some really positive factors can influence your decision to do so.
If you’re looking for ways to start volunteering as a high school student, these statistics show that you’re definitely not alone.
Surprisingly or maybe not, parental encouragement, interest in the cause, and religion can all play a very positive role in influencing students. So, if you’re a student and have any inkling of volunteering, maybe you should consider talking to a parent or adult you trust and care about and see if they can help support you in finding ways you (and perhaps them too!) can get involved.
