Determinanten des Angebots von Freiwilligenarbeit älterer Menschen

Knowing the factors that influence older people to volunteer is highly important for the evaluation of the productive potential of the growing population of older people. This diploma thesis aims to contribute to a better understanding of the determinants of volunteering among the elderly. Therefore, this study reviews a psychological, an economic and a sociological approach explaining volunteering and provides an overview about existing empirical findings. Using data from a survey conducted by Statistics Austria in 2006, the study applies the method of logistic regression to estimate the determinants of volunteering by older people in Austria for the first time. Results show that sex, age, level and field of education, employment status, migration background, household´s wealth and income, household size, existence of other volunteers in the same household and place of residence determine volunteering among older people. Moreover, the results demonstrate that the influence of those factors vary substantially for different types of volunteering.