What do they do? Volunteering and employment Other sources of
information and data - In 2008/09 41% of adults volunteered
formally (giving unpaid help through a group, club or
organisation) and 62% volunteered informally (giving unpaid help
as an individual to someone who is not a relative) (2008/09 DCLG
Citizenship Survey). - In 2007/08 formal volunteers contributed
an estimated £22.7 billion to the UK economy (UK Civil Society
Almanac). - The average number of hours spent volunteering per
volunteer declined by 30% between 1997 and 2007 (Helping Out,
2007). Evidence also suggests that there is a trend towards more
episodic volunteering (The UK Civil Society Almanac 2009). - In
2008/09 42% of females formally volunteered compared to 38% of
males (2008/09 DCLG Citizenship Survey) - In 2008/09 42% of
white adults formally volunteered compared to 34% of minority
ethnic group adults. However, although different ethnic groups
show different rates of formal volunteering deeper exploration
shows that this is due to