Young People’s Propensity to Volunteer: a Typology Based on a Regional Study

The article examines the variability of personal dispositions that contribute to the predisposition of youth to volunteerism. The study is based on the results of an online survey of youth in the Sverdlovsk region conducted in 2022. The sample was representative, error 3%, size – N = 2500. The sample was based on quotas: gender, age, social status, place of residence. The article discusses the predisposition to volunteerism and the relationship between the propensity of the Urals youth to volunteer and their readiness for action. It examines the social consciousness of young people to evaluate the various characteristics of their inclination towards this type of social activity. The study analyzed the multidirectional nature of youth predisposition to volunteering across four dimensions: belief in social change, orientation towards activism, priority of egoistic or altruistic orientation of volunteering, and orientation towards relatives and friends or independence. Cluster analysis was conducted to identify 12 types of youth groups with unique characteristics of their members’ predisposition to volunteering. The propensity to volunteerism index was calculated for each group. The results show that the groups with a stronger altruistic orientation and an attitude towards social action (activism) have the largest number of individuals ready to volunteer. Meanwhile, the proportion of individuals willing to volunteer remains consistent even in groups where the inclination towards volunteerism is low.