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Volunteering among Older Adults and Effects of Ethnic Minority Status before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Longitudinal Analyses of the CLSA

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 May 2024

Eireann O’Dea Open the ORCID record for Eireann O’Dea [Opens in a new window] ,
Andrew Wister Open the ORCID record for Andrew Wister [Opens in a new window] ,
Lun Li ,
Sarah L. Canham  and
Barbara Mitchell Open the ORCID record for Barbara Mitchell [Opens in a new window]
Eireann O’Dea*
Affiliation:
Gerontology Department, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Andrew Wister
Affiliation:
Gerontology Department, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, BC, Canada Gerontology Research Centre, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Lun Li
Affiliation:
Department of Social Work, MacEwan University, Robbins Health Learning Centre, Edmonton, AB, Canada
Sarah L. Canham
Affiliation:
College of Social Work, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
Barbara Mitchell
Affiliation:
Gerontology Department, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, BC, Canada Department of Sociology/Anthropology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
*
Corresponding author: La correspondance et les demandes de tirésàpart doivent être adressées à:/Correspondence and requests for offprints should be sent to: Eireann O’Dea, Department of Gerontology, Simon Fraser University, 2800 Harbour Centre, 5151 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC, V6B 5K3, Canada (eireanno@sfu.ca).
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Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented numerous challenges to older adults in Canada, including the ability to volunteer. The purpose of this study is to improve the understanding of the social context surrounding volunteering in Canada, by (a) determining changes in associations between human, social, and cultural capital and volunteering among older adults; and (b) examining the relationship between ethnic minority status and volunteering, using data from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA), collected prior to and during the pandemic. This study utilized data from 24,306 CLSA Baseline, Follow-up 1 (FUP1), and COVID-19 Baseline Survey participants (aged 55+). Results confirm a decrease in volunteering during the early stages of the pandemic. Compared to pre-pandemic associations, volunteers during the early stages of the pandemic were more likely to be young–old, male, employed, and not involved in religious activities. Findings provide evidence of pandemic effects on volunteering among older adults in Canada.

Résumé

Résumé

La pandémie de COVID-19 a confronté les personnes âgées à de nombreux défis au Canada, et a notamment restreint leur capacité de faire du bénévolat. Cette étude a pour objet d’améliorer la compréhension du contexte social dans lequel s’inscrit le bénévolat au Canada, en : a) déterminant l’évolution des liens entre le capital humain, social et culturel et le bénévolat chez les personnes âgées, et b) examinant les relations entre le statut de membre d’une minorité ethnique et le bénévolat, à l’aide de données recueillies par l’Étude longitudinale canadienne sur le vieillissement (ÉLCV) avant et pendant la pandémie. La présente étude a utilisé les données recueillies auprès de 24 306 participants au sondage de référence et de suivi initial de l’ÉLCV et au sondage de référence de l’ÉCLV sur la COVID-19 (âgés de 55 ans et plus). Les résultats confirment une baisse du bénévolat au cours des premiers stades de la pandémie. Par rapport aux liens établis avant la pandémie, les bénévoles actifs pendant la pandémie étaient en majorité des hommes de tous âges qui étaient employés et ne participaient pas à des activités religieuses. Les résultats confirment par des preuves l’incidence de la pandémie sur la pratique du bénévolat chez les personnes âgées au Canada.

Keywords

COVID-19CLSAVolunteeringAgingCanadaCOVID-19ÉCLVbénévolat
Type
Article
Information
Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement , Volume 43 , Issue 4 , December 2024 , pp. 599 - 610
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Copyright
© Canadian Association on Gerontology 2024

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