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Internet Use and Volunteering: Relationships and Differences Across Age and Applications

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2026

Maximilian FilsingerOpen the ORCID record for Maximilian Filsinger[Opens in a new window] and
Markus Freitag
Maximilian Filsinger*
Affiliation:
Institute of Political Science, University of Bern, Fabrikstrasse 8, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
Markus Freitag*
Affiliation:
Institute of Political Science, University of Bern, Fabrikstrasse 8, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
*
maximilian.filsinger@ipw.unibe.ch
markus.freitag@ipw.unibe.ch
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Abstract

The internet plays an important part in our daily lives. In this paper, we ask whether internet use is negatively related to civic life when focusing specifically on formal volunteering. Furthermore, we account for group-specific and activity-specific internet effects. Using a representative population sample of Switzerland, we show that internet use decreases the probability of undertaking voluntary work. This result is qualified in two respects: First, we find that the negative relationship between internet use and volunteering is more powerful among young people than older adults who are more likely to volunteer when they use the internet. Second, the use of social networking sites seems to mitigate the negative influence of internet use on volunteering.

Keywords

InternetSocial mediaAgeVolunteeringVoluntary organisationsSocial networking sites

Information

Type
Original Paper
Information
Voluntas: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations , Volume 30 , Issue 1 , February 2019, pp. 87 - 97
Copyright
Copyright © International Society for Third-Sector Research and The Johns Hopkins University 2018

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