Connecting and Giving

Connecting and Giving: A Report on How Mid-life and Older Americans Spend Their Time, Make Connections and Build Communities was recently published by AARP Knowledge Management.

Key findings of the August 2009 telephone survey revealed that:
The nature of civic engagement is changing, becoming more personal and more secular.

• Mid-life and older Americans are less likely to join organizations.
• Although membership in religious organizations remains a relatively popular activity, involvement in these organizations has declined.
• While the rate of traditional volunteering (i.e., volunteering through or for an organization) has held steady, the amount of time volunteers spend in service has declined as volunteering becomes more episodic.

Read the full report for more information on volunteerism and older adults: http://assets.aarp.org/rgcenter/general/connecting_giving.pdf