In May 2006, Volunteer Centre South Bedfordshire and Volunteer Centre Bedford commissioned Social and Market Strategic Research (SMSR) Ltd, an independent research company, to undertake an evaluation of residents’ informal and formal volunteering participation and awareness of volunteering opportunities in their community. The consultation also asked questions on feelings towards their local neighbourhood, reasons for not volunteering and what could be done to increase levels of volunteering across the County.

The consultation was undertaken using a questionnaire that was designed by SMSR in conjunction with staff from the Volunteer Centres. This was initially used as a postal survey and then adapted as a telephone survey. 5,500 postal questionnaires were sent out to a random sample of residents across the County; this only produced a response rate of 7% (400 surveys). A further 700 surveys were completed over the telephone, using SMSR’s telephone interviewing staff to give an overall sample size of 1,100.

Involvement in your Community

Residents felt a stronger sense of belonging to their neighbourhood (73%) compared with the wider community of people or interest (60%) and Bedfordshire on the whole (56%).

This is perhaps reflected in the fact the half the respondents interviewed had lived in their neighbourhood for more than 20 years and less than a third had lived in their neighbourhood for less than 10 years.

The majority of respondents (71%) enjoyed living in their neighbourhood and a quarter also did so to some extent.  Just 5% did not. Although there are these high levels of enjoyment, 29% felt that people in their neighbourhood do not pull together to improve the neighbourhood, although 61% felt the opposite – people do pull together.

Download the results on people’s involvement in their local community.

Formal Volunteering

44% of all residents interviewed had given unpaid help to any groups, clubs or organisations in the last 12 months. And almost half of these (46%) did so for two or more hours a week. The sample (required for the Bedfordshire Local Area Agreement baseline data) of those aged 16 – 64 showed that 18.1% have done something to help a group, club or organisation in the last 12 months for an average of two hours or more a week. The main three types of help were:

• organising or helping to run an activity or event
• raising or managing money
• leading or helping to run a group.

Download the results on formal volunteering.

Informal Volunteering

45% of respondents had given unpaid help to someone who was not a relative in the last 12 months and 24% of these did so for two or more hours a week. The main types of help were:

• transporting or escorting someone
• cooking, cleaning, laundry, gardening or other routine household jobs
• looking after property or a pet for someone who is away/unwell
• keeping in touch with somebody who has difficulty getting in and out and about.

Download the results on informal volunteering.

Why People Volunteered

The main reasons provided for helping out over the last 12 months were to make a difference or because they were concerned or interested in the group or cause. Most respondents heard about volunteering opportunities through either friends, neighbours or somebody else involved with a group/organisation or a place of worship.

Of those respondents who had not volunteered; the main reason mentioned was a lack of time.

10% of these respondents said more information or opportunities would encourage them to volunteer and half of all the respondents felt not very or not at all informed about local volunteering opportunities. However, 50% did feel informed about local opportunities and a fifth of those interviewed requested more information about such opportunities.

Download the results on why people volunteered or had not volunteered.

Download the full results and a copy of the Bedfordshire Volunteering Survey 2006.