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Volunteerism and Socioemotional Selectivity in Later Life

¹ University Honors College, Oregon State University, Corvallis.
² Department of Sociology and Center for the Study of Aging, University of Vermont, Burlington.

Address correspondence to Dr. Jon Hendricks, University Honors College, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331. E-mail: hendricj{at}onid.orst.edu

Objectives. The goal of this work was to assess the applicability of socioemotional selectivity theory to the realm of volunteerism by analyzing data drawn from the September 2002 Current Population Survey Volunteer Supplement.

Methods. Total number of organizations volunteered for and total number of hours engaged in volunteer activities were utilized to obtain measures of volunteer hours per organization and volunteer hours in the main organization to determine whether a selective process could be observed. Descriptive statistics on age patterns were followed by a series of curve estimations to identify the best-fitting curves.

Results. Logistic age patterns of slowly increasing then relatively stable volunteer activity suggest that socioemotional selectivity processes are operative in the realm of voluntary activities.

Discussion. Socioemotional selectivity theory is applicable to voluntary activities.

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