Religious Social Networks and Volunteering: Examining Recruitment via Close Ties

A growing number of studies point to religious social networks as the critical link between religion and volunteering, mediating the effect of religious participation and predicting volunteering more strongly than beliefs. Previous studies have examined how the presence or absence of religiously bas...

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1. VerfasserIn: Merino, Stephen M. (VerfasserIn)
Medienart: Elektronisch Aufsatz
Sprache:Englisch
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Veröffentlicht: Springer 2013
In: Review of religious research
Jahr: 2013, Band: 55, Heft: 3, Seiten: 509-527
weitere Schlagwörter:B Secular volunteering
B Social Networks
B religious involvement
B Recruitment
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Zusammenfassung:A growing number of studies point to religious social networks as the critical link between religion and volunteering, mediating the effect of religious participation and predicting volunteering more strongly than beliefs. Previous studies have examined how the presence or absence of religiously based social ties predicts volunteering behavior. However, few studies have focused on the role of recruitment in personal networks. Examining the sources and frequency of recruitment efforts is especially important, since being asked to volunteer is one of the strongest predictors of volunteering. Using data from the nationally representative Portraits of American Life Study, this study examines the frequency and effectiveness of volunteer recruitment via close, same-faith ties. I find that same-faith friends and family members vary widely in their propensity to make volunteer requests, depending on whether religion is a salient aspect of the relationship and whether the relationship is connected to congregational social networks. I also find that, for churchgoers and non-churchgoers alike, ties to people actively involved in a congregation are important sources of volunteer invitations. As expected, having been asked to volunteer is a strong predictor of volunteering. However, the recruitment source appears to be less critical. I explore how these findings shed light on the mechanisms linking religious networks and volunteering.
ISSN:2211-4866
Enthält:Enthalten in: Review of religious research
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1007/s13644-013-0113-6