An increasing number of Americans are interested in community service-based vacations – nicknamed "voluntourism" – with young people significantly more likely to have considered it, said a new survey by the University of California San Diego Extension.
The survey found that two-thirds of high school students and half of college students have discussed participating in volunteer vacations in the past year, compared to less than half of adults and one-quarter of retired adults.
Yet general volunteer activity has increased across the board, with 69 percent of Americans saying they have dedicated time or money to a global cause, the survey reported. This represents a 21 percent increase from last year’s data.
Regarding types of volunteer assignments, many respondents reported being interested in education, artistic, or cultural development, a category which topped the list at 23 percent. Providing spiritual or emotional assistance came in at 19 percent, followed closely by improving health and nutrition, constructing roads and technology infrastructure, and environmental cleanup or agricultural assistance.
When asked what their primary motivation was for volunteering, most respondents said it was either pursuing a cause or purpose they believe in, or giving back to the community – both were tied at 30 percent of responses.
Yet despite the significant interest in volunteering, very few respondents – 7 percent – indicated a desire to make global service into a career.
"More and more people in all stages of life are thinking of becoming global ‘voluntourists’," said Bob Benson, director of the Center for Global Volunteer Service at UC San Diego Extension. "People are looking to volunteer their time in meaningful ways that make contributions to people in regions other than their own, and younger people are especially eager to make voluntourism part of their lifestyle."
This survey is in line with a recent effort to involve more young people in philanthropy, as nonprofit organizations try to figure out what interests and engages younger generations.