Erik van Ingen

Changes in the determinants of volunteering: Participation and time investment between 1975 and 2005 in the Netherlands

Researchers have examined whether societal developments such as educational expansion, secularization, and changes on the job market affect levels of volunteering. We extend this research by studying the distribution of volunteering or possible changes in the way volunteering is determined. We found that volunteering has become more common among the economically inactive (pensioners and homemakers) at the expense of the employed. Furthermore, the relationship between church attendance and volunteering has become stronger; although volunteering has gone down in general, churchgoers increase their volunteering for religious organizations on average. The role of education has also changed: the differences between the lower and higher educated in their participation in volunteer work have virtually disappeared. The determinants of the time invested in volunteering have changed less and turn out to be entirely different from the determinants of participation. Explanations for these changes as well as their implications for research are discussed.

Leisure and Social Capital: An Analysis of Types of Company and Activities

The relation between leisure activities and social capital is examined in this paper. The focus is on two dimensions: the company in which the activities were performed (household members versus friends and acquaintances) and the nature of the activities (productive versus consumptive). Data are employed from a time-use survey conducted in the United Kingdom in 2000. Productive activities are positively related to the social capital indicators of civic engagement and helping, while consumptive activities are not. The type of activity matters more than the type of company. Leisure activities especially further peoples social capital among groups that are already gifted with high levels of civic engagement and helping.The relation between leisure activities and social capital is examined in this paper. The focus is on two dimensions: the company in which the activities were performed (household members versus friends and acquaintances) and the nature of the activities (productive versus consumptive). Data are employed from a time-use survey conducted in the United Kingdom in 2000. Productive activities are positively related to the social capital indicators of civic engagement and helping, while consumptive activities are not. The type of activity matters more than the type of company. Leisure activities especially further peoples social capital among groups that are already gifted with high levels of civic engagement and helping.

Nonresponse in the Dutch Time Use Survey: Strategies for response enhancement and bias reduction

This article describes attempts to enhance response rates in the Dutch Time Use Survey (DTUS). The authors examine what kind of nonresponse bias exists in the DTUS—with special concern for “busyness”—and they analyze whether enhanced response rates result in lower nonresponse bias. Results partly confirm the outcomes of earlier studies. First, time pressure does not seem to stop people from cooperating in the DTUS. Second, people who are participating actively in other domains (work, sports, volunteer work) and people who are more involved (political interest, reading newspapers) tend to cooperate more often in the survey than others. Surprisingly, the authors conclude that an increase in response rate does not necessarily lead to less selectiveness, which is a counterintuitive and worrisome finding. Additional field efforts resulted in more of the same kinds of people cooperating.

Welfare state expenditure and inequalities in voluntary association participation

There are large gaps in associational involvement along education, income and gender lines and across different organizations. This paper examines the extent to which these gaps vary across countries. We argue that, next to the discussion about crowding out effects that is often found in the literature, it is important to look at conditioning effects of welfare states. Through welfare state policies, resources are redistributed in society. In turn, these resources enable participation in voluntary associations and organizations. Our analyses — based on multi-level models and data of the European Social Survey — indicate that extensive welfare state expenditures reduce participatory inequalities, with some variation according to the kind of organization under study. Our findings suggest that conditioning effects of welfare states deserve greater attention in research and that participatory inequalities may be reduced by social policy.There are large gaps in associational involvement along education, income and gender lines and across different organizations. This paper examines the extent to which these gaps vary across countries. We argue that, next to the discussion about crowding out effects that is often found in the literature, it is important to look at conditioning effects of welfare states. Through welfare state policies, resources are redistributed in society. In turn, these resources enable participation in voluntary associations and organizations. Our analyses — based on multi-level models and data of the European Social Survey — indicate that extensive welfare state expenditures reduce participatory inequalities, with some variation according to the kind of organization under study. Our findings suggest that conditioning effects of welfare states deserve greater attention in research and that participatory inequalities may be reduced by social policy.

Social Participation Revisited : Disentangling and Explaining Period, Life-Cycle and Cohort Effects

In this analysis of formal and informal social participation in the Netherlands between 1975 and 2000, period, life-cycle and cohort effects are disentangled and the factors that could have driven these changes are examined. Use of diary data enables an assessment of four types of social participation: formal involvement in associations, maintenance of informal contacts within the home and outside the home, and distant social contacts. Our results indicate that several changes have been taking place. A large decrease (of approximately 3 hours per week between 1980 and 2000) is found in the time people spend on social activities within the home (consisting mainly of paying visits and receiving visitors). This trend is connected with increases in work and television watching. Other changes manifest themselves as cohort differences. While younger cohorts reflect considerably less activity in formal participation, they spend more time on informal social activities outside the home. Decreasing levels of religi...

Dissolution of Associational Life? Testing the Individualization and Informalization Hypotheses on Leisure Activities in the Netherlands between 1975 and 2005.

In this paper we examine whether individualization and informalization processes have occurred in the field of leisure in The Netherlands, by analyzing the social context of a wide range of activities between 1975 and 2005. We find that the choice of a particular leisure context is dependent on education, gender, year of birth, age and time pressure. We find evidence for informalization, but—contrary to popular belief—not for individualization. The informalization trend follows a pattern of cohort replacement, and is also caused by a rise in the average education level in the population. Our findings imply that research on civil society, community and social capital should not only be concerned with membership rates, but also with participation in alternative social contexts.

Online Coping After Negative Life Events

This article explores how individuals use online coping strategies after experiencing a negative life event. Many studies have shown that online coping is of rising importance. However, these studies have not provided all pieces of the puzzle because they tend to focus on one particular online venue (e.g., an online support group or social network site [SNS]) and on a limited number of coping strategies. This article aims to provide a more complete picture, by simultaneously examining multiple online and off-line coping strategies, using a survey administered to a representative sample of the 16+ population of the Netherlands. Furthermore, we analyze what kind of Internet activities are related to online coping and whether online coping is associated with well-being. Some 57% of our sample mentioned some form of online coping. Using the Internet for mental disengagement, active coping and planning were the most reported online coping strategies, whereas strategies aimed at emotional coping were reported less frequently. Online coping encompassed several activities: online gaming, which was associated with mental disengagement; searching for information, which was associated with problem-focused coping; and SNS and online support groups, which were associated with mental disengagement, problem-focused coping, and socioemotional coping. Finally, we examined the correlations between online coping and well-being. Controlling for off-line coping, we found online mental disengagement and online socioemotional coping to be inversely related to life satisfaction, self-esteem, and optimism, whereas correlations between online problem-focused coping and well-being were nonsignificant. The implications of these findings are discussed.

Predictors of mobilizing online coping versus offline coping resources after negative life events

This exploratory study drew upon the social compensation/social enhancement hypotheses and weak tie network theory to predict what kind of people supplement offline coping resources with online coping resources more than others. Using a large, representative survey the authors found that low self-esteem, lonely, and socially isolated individuals add more online resources to their mix of preferred coping strategies than their counterparts. These groups benefit from the fact that online coping resources are not as strongly entangled with online social ties as are offline coping resources with offline ties, and from the fact that online coping resources can sometimes be mobilized without any social interactions. In contrast to offline coping, the researchers also found that men mobilize more online coping resources than women. The authors discuss the implications of these findings in terms of the social compensation hypothesis and online weak tie networks. We study mobilization of online and offline coping resources using a large dataset.We find support for social compensation with regard to coping resources.The lonely, isolated, and those with low self-esteem are less disadvantaged online.Women mobilize more support offline but less online after negative life events.The compensation is strongest for socioemotional coping and weak for disengagement.

Explanations of changes in church attendance between 1970 and 2009

We deduce hypotheses from theories on religious change to explain changes in church attendance rates. Using a new dataset with 51 countries across a long period we apply panel regression models, which enable us to test well-known theories in a more strict and dynamic fashion than do cross-sectional studies. Our results provide new evidence for a few old ideas, but also show striking lack of evidence for ideas that appear well-accepted. Tertiary education proved to be a strong predictor of changes in church attendance. Theories about individualization were also supported. The evidence of existential insecurity as a cause of change was ambiguous: economic development and life expectancy showed significant effects but income inequality did not. We found no support for theories on social globalization and social benefit policy. Finally, we found that income inequality and urbanization were driving forces of change during the 70s and 80s, but not since 1990.

I volunteer, therefore I am? Factors affecting volunteer role identity

Volunteer role identity has long been of interest to social scientists seeking to understand volunteer commitment and the psychological consequences of volunteering. The study reported here tests the theory that predicts that people identify more strongly with the volunteer role as compensation for the absence of other productive roles. Using a sample (n = 572) of Dutch volunteers over the age of 50, we find a strong association between age and volunteer role identity. For older volunteers, the volunteer role is a more important part of who they are. We find that retirement plays an important role in this. The retirement effect, in turn, is accounted for by the extra time retirees invest in the role, signaling a compensation strategy. We find a similar substitution effect for the unemployed/disabled, but not for widowhood. The study makes a contribution by situating the explanation of volunteer role identity within a life-course framework.