“Small actions, great results”: relationships between voluntarism and citizenship

Abstract This study draws on advances in citizenship theory and the volunteer motivation model to examine the thesis that volunteers are likely to have greater civic action than non-volunteers, stimulated by the motivations that guide their behavior: the closer they are to altruistic motivations, the more concerned they are with collective issues and the practice of citizenship. This study aims to understand the relationships between voluntarism and citizenship in light of motivation. We conducted a quantitative study with three samples of 541, 347, and 366 subjects, and used descriptive and inferential statistics, as well as structural equation modeling. The results confirm the existence of relationships between voluntarism and citizenship practices, justifying policies to encourage this activity.