Swiss volunteers prefer culture and charity groups to sports clubs

Volunteer work in cultural and charitable associations is on the rise. © Keystone / Gaetan Bally

Community work continues to play a key role in Swiss society, but its focus has changed over the past 20 years, a study has found. 

Political interest groups, sports clubs and public service organisations appear to have become less attractive to volunteers. 

Volunteer activities for charitable and cultural organisations, as well as hobby clubs and leisure groups, have won ground, according to a statement by the Swiss Society for the Common GoodExternal link. 

Some 62% of respondents said they were regularly engaged in unpaid work mostly as members of an organisation. In a first such survey in 2007 was 52%.  

Informal volunteer work mostly consisted of care work for family members and friends, as well as helping neighbours. 

Women do unpaid work more often than men. Many of the volunteers are people who have retired from their professional life. 

Among the main motivation for the volunteers are a personal challenge, a feeling of responsibility and an interesting activity, the study found. 

The survey conducted in 2019, polled more than 5,000 Swiss residents over the age of 15.