Participation: Trends, facts and figures

Download your free copy of Participation: Trends, facts and figures (PDF 2.4MB), an almanac mapping public participation in civil society.

The report, launched at our Annual Conference last week, explores key questions around people's motivations for getting involved with charities, campaigning and political activity.

Along with giving time and money to charity, it also addresses other participatory activities including timebanking, ethical consumerism, campaigning and protests.

The Almanac looks at whether there has been a decline in participation over the last decades and finds that the percentage of individuals volunteering formally through groups and organisations at least once a year experienced a slight decrease from 44% in 1981 to 41% in 2008.

Sir Stuart Etherington, our Chief Executive, said:

"The report is part of our Almanac series of publications that aim to inform and shape contemporary public policy on civil society. Drawing upon evidence from a range of sources, it highlights that the habits and characteristics of participation – volunteering, charitable giving and philanthropy, political participation – are very much part of the social fabric of the UK.

It shows that some forms of participation are thriving, others are static or declining. It argues that more ‘traditional’ forms of engagement, from voting to volunteering, are changing, in some cases driven by the emergence of new technologies, in other cases supplemented by new approaches that reflect the changes in lifestyles that people now lead. I think it illustrates that participation is neither dead nor dormant, but that the forms and places where people get involved are changing."

Download Participation: Trends, Facts and Figures (PDF 2.4MB)

*correction (20.07.2011): Camp for Climate Action's website on page 40 (left hand column). It has been written as 'ClimateCampforAction.org.uk' when in fact the correct website is www.climatecamp.org.uk.