Why Was the Volunteer Activity Rate in Gyeonggi-do Only 10.4% Last Year?

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Due to the impact of COVID-19 and other factors, the volunteer activity rate in the Gyeonggi region last year was found to be in the 10% range.

According to the Gyeonggi Research Institute on the 27th, as of last year, the number of registered volunteers compared to the resident registration population in the province (about 13.56 million) was about 3.87 million, resulting in a registration rate of 28.6%.

However, the actual number of active volunteers was about 400,000, with an activity rate of only 10.4%. The annual volunteer activity rates were 42.4% in 2017 and 28.9% in 2019, so last year's activity rate was only a quarter of that four years ago.

The sharp decline in the number of active volunteers is analyzed to be mainly due to the ripple effects of COVID-19.

As measures to revitalize volunteer activities, both residents and volunteers pointed to 'expanding participation channels' and 'strengthening program diversity.'

According to a perception survey conducted by the Gyeonggi Research Institute in July targeting 1,000 residents and 520 volunteer participants, 28.2% of residents and 36.2% of volunteer participants responded that expanding volunteer participation channels is necessary.

Also, 25.0% of residents and 28.3% of volunteer participants said that strengthening the diversity of volunteer programs is necessary.

In a survey conducted in June targeting 89 volunteer policy officers in Gyeonggi Province, 23.0% of respondents answered that "focus should be placed on strategic business support that leads the development of new volunteer areas."

Choi Jun-gyu, a research fellow at the Gyeonggi Research Institute, said, "Due to the paradigm shift in volunteering caused by COVID-19 and others, it is necessary to expand participation channels and transition to a more comprehensive volunteer policy," suggesting strengthening the integrated platform function centered on relationship building, expanding volunteer programs aimed at solving social problems, enhancing the capabilities of volunteer entities, and redefining role relationships.