'Grey Army' chooses the shops over charity work

The Times

20 January 2008

Back to Press coverage

Gordon Brown's rallying cry for a “Grey Army” of the over-55s to spend their spare time doing voluntary work appears to have been ignored, a new study has found.

Baby-boomers have rejected his call to dedicate their retirement to good works, according to the report, which raises questions about the millions of pounds of taxpayers' money spent on the initiative.

The number of over-50s volunteering has plummeted since Mr Brown launched his campaign when he was Chancellor in 2001, preferring to spend their free time on the golf course or travelling the world rather than helping out in a soup kitchen.

The initiative hopes to lure older people into schools to help with reading, become mentors for new parents, or look after people recently discharged from hospital. Other programmes aimed to match the recently retired to local charities.

But the figures found that only 16 per cent of 55 to 64-year-olds volunteered in any capacity last year, compared with 23 per cent in 2001. The figures were compiled by nfpSynergy, an independent research group for charities, that described the findings as “worrying”, given the amount of cash ministers have spent promoting voluntary work.

A total of £300 million has been earmarked for various initiatives to boost the number of volunteers since 2001, with a large proportion of that aimed at older people.

“It is concerning that some of the traditional bulwarks of volunteering show either static or a falling level of volunteering, a sharp decline in the case of the 55-64 baby-boomer generation, and this is despite targeted campaigns,” said Joe Saxton, the co-founder of nfpSynergy.

However, the findings tally with other research which has found that baby-boomers are embracing retirement with vigour. The Times reported in May that the over-50s take an average of nine holidays a year, and spend almost four hours shopping each week, more time than the average 16 to 24-year-old.

Saxton said it was worrying news for the Government that those targeted by volunteering campaigns had ignored the message, while the number of volunteers in groups not targeted at all, most notably 25 to 34-year-olds, had risen. Almost one in five (18 per cent) of this age group is now volunteering, compared with just 11 per cent in 2001.

More people aged between 35 and 44 are also volunteering despite not being targeted. Almost one in five (18 per cent) volunteer, compared with 15 per cent in 2001.

“The Government's strategy bears little relation to trends, and has failed to deliver rising volunteer numbers thus far,” said Saxton.

The overall numbers of people volunteering showed some early success from the Government's drive to get more people of all ages volunteering. The proportion doing charity and community work rose from 16 per cent in 2001 to 19 per cent in 2003, but there has been no progress at all in the past four years.

The lowest level was recorded in 2005, the Government's “year of the volunteer”, when only 18 per cent of people did any voluntary work.

The people who volunteer still appear to conform to the stereotype. More women (21 per cent) volunteer than men (16 per cent). Those who go to church were twice as likely to volunteer as those who do not. The study also shows that most volunteers supported a particular charity or cause (ten per cent) while only six per cent took on a community role, such as going into their child's school to help with reading.

A spokesman for the Cabinet Office, which oversees volunteering initiatives, disputed the findings. “This report runs contrary to other evidence. We are already investing more than ever before in encouraging volunteering and this is having an extremely positive impact right across the age range,” a spokesman said.

Back to Press coverage