Glossary

  1. Activities
  2. Additional Cities
  3. Adult
  4. Attending Public Meetings Rate
  5. Baby Boomers
  6. Charitable Contributions
  7. Community Connectedness
  8. Confidence in Institutions
  9. College Students
  10. Commuting Time Average
  11. Current Population Survey (CPS)
  12. Current Population Survey (CPS) Volunteer Supplement
  13. Current Population Survey (CPS) Civic Engagement Supplement
  14. Current Population Survey (CPS) Voting Supplement
  15. Five-year moving average
  16. Four-year moving average
  17. Generation X
  18. Homeownership Rate
  19. Informal Service
  20. Intensive Volunteer Rate
  21. Large Cities
  22. Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)
  23. Mid-Size Cities
  1. Millennial Generation
  2. Multi-Unit Housing Rate
  3. National Service
  4. Nonprofits per Residents
  5. Older Adults
  6. Organizations
  7. Participating in a Group
  8. Pooled Volunteer Rate
  9. Political Action
  10. Service
  11. Social Connectedness
  12. Technical Note
  13. Teenagers
  14. Three-year moving average
  15. Unemployment Rate
  16. Veteran
  17. Volunteer
  18. Volunteer Hours Per Resident
  19. Volunteer Rate
  20. Volunteer Retention
  21. Working with Neighbors
  22. Young Adults
  1. Activities: Activities are the specific tasks the volunteer did for his or her main organization. Examples include tutoring, fundraising, and general labor.
  2. Additional Cities: Major cities for this report were selected based on population of the surrounding metropolitan areas, as well as the number of metropolitan area residents in the CPS sample. All volunteer data for cities are collected from the metropolitan area in which the city is located, including metro area residents outside the city limits. For metropolitan areas that met these population requirements, but did not have enough respondents in the CPS sample, no city volunteer statistics were published. The additional cities on this Web site represent metropolitan areas with populations of less than 1 million people but greater than 100,000, and have CPS samples large enough to provide reliable estimates for a limited number of volunteer statistics. See the Technical Note for more information about city data.
  3. Adult: Individuals aged 16 years old and older. The Current Population Survey (CPS) also collects labor force and volunteering data for 15-year-old respondents. As in most other publications that use data from the CPS, 15-year-old respondents are excluded from the volunteer statistics published here.
  4. Attending Public Meetings Rate: Calculated from the CPS Volunteer Supplement question, which asks: "Since September 1, [last year], have you attended any public meetings in which there was discussion of community affairs?".
  5. Baby Boomers: Individuals born between 1946 and 1964.
  6. Charitable Contributions: Calculated from the CPS Volunteer Supplement question, which asks: "Since September 1, [last year], have you donated money, assets, or property with a combined value of more than $25 to charitable or religious organizations.” While this is not listed within the primary categories of civic engagement within this website, it reflects a level of investment in contributing to the social infrastructure within communities.
  7. Community Connectedness: Calculated from the 2011 CPS Civic Engagement Supplement question related to an individual's sense of community engagement. Respondents were asked whether they trusted the people in theie neighborhood, -None of the people, Some of the people, Most of the people or all of the people.
  8. Confidence in Institutions: Three items calculated from the 2011 CPS Civic Engagement Supplement questions related to an individual’s confidence in corporations, media and public schools. Respondents were asked whether they had a great deal of confidence, some confidence, hardly any confidence or no confidence at all to do what is right.
  9. College Students: Individuals aged 16-24 years old who are enrolled in college at the time of the survey.
  10. Commuting Time Average: The average number of minutes spent traveling from home to work for residents who don’t work at home.
  11. Current Population Survey (CPS):The Current Population Survey (CPS) is a monthly survey of about 50,000 households conducted by the Bureau of the Census for the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The survey has been conducted for more than 50 years. The CPS is the primary source of information on the labor force characteristics of the U.S. population. For more inforation about the CPs,please visit http://www.census.gov/cps/ or http://www.bls.gov/cps/. Each September since 2002, the CPS administers its Supplement on Volunteering (Volunteer Supplement) to adult respondents.
  12. Current Population Survey (CPS) Volunteer Supplement: Each September since 2002, the CPS administers its Supplement on Volunteering (Volunteer Supplement) to adult respondents. The CPS Volunteer Supplement collects information on the incidence of volunteering, the characteristics of volunteers, and civic life indicators in the United States.
  13. Current Population Survey (CPS) Civic Engagement Supplement: Each November since 2008, the CPS administers its Supplement on Civic Engagement to adult respondents. The November 2008 CPS Civic Engagement Supplement collects information on the incidence of participating in non-electoral activities, belonging to a group, social connectedness, and connection to information and events. In November 2009, several questions from the Political Action and Connecting to Information and Current Events categories were eliminated from the CPS Civic Engagement Supplement, and the sample was restricted to outgoing CPS households (one-fourth of the usual size of a CPS sample). In November 2011 seven new questions were added that measure voting behavior, political expression, trust in people and confidence in institutions. These pertain to voting behavior, using the internet to express opinions on political/community issues and trust.
  14. Current Population Survey (CPS) Voting Supplement: The CPS administers its Supplement on Voting to adult respondents to collect information on the incidence of voting and voting registration.
  15. Five-year moving average: Shows data that combines responses from the 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 volunteer supplements to increase the reliability of the estimates.
  16. Four-year moving average: Shows data that combines responses from the 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 volunteer supplements to increase the reliability of the estimates.
  17. Generation X: Individuals born between 1965 and 1981.
  18. Homeownership Rate: The percentage of housing units occupied by the owner, as reported by the American Community Survey.
  19. Informal Service: Many people chose to engage in serve outside of a formal event or organization. Within our research, we use the term "volunteer" to include individuals who serve for or through an organization. Informal service includes individuals who responded that they had either worked with neighbors to address a community issue and/or exchanged favors with neighbors. Data on informal service comes from questions found on the CPS Volunteering and Civic Engagement Supplements.
  20. Intensive Volunteer Rate: The percentage of people who served more than 100 hours for or through one or more organizations during the year prior to the CPS Survey Volunteer Supplement.
  21. Large Cities: The large cities on this Web site represent the 50 largest metropolitan areas in terms of estimated 2010 population, plus Rochester, NY (ranked 51st in metro area population). All major cities for this report have a sufficient number of metropolitan area residents in the annual CPS sample to calculate single-year estimates of basic volunteer statistics. All volunteer data for cities are collected from the metropolitan area in which the city is located, including metro area residents outside the city limits. For metropolitan areas that met these population requirements, but did not have enough respondents in the CPS sample, no city volunteer statistics were published. See the Technical Note for more information about city data.
  22. Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA): All city statistics published here are collected from Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSA), which includ residents of large cities as well as area residents living outside the city limits. MSAs carry the name of one or more principal cities, the most heavily urbanized cities in the area; the names of the principal cities are used as designations for the city data published here. The federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is responsible for determining and publishing the boundaries of MSAs. In order for an area to be designated an MSA , the area has to have at least one urbanized area of 50,000 or more in population, plus adjacent territory that has a high degree of social and economic integration with the urban core as measured by commuting ties. The MSA definitions used in the CPS Volunteering Supplements can be found in the Appendix to OMB Bulletin #03-04, issued June 30, 2003. Since then, OMB’s periodic updates have changed the names and principal cities for some MSAs, but the same county-based geographic definitions described in OMB Bulletin #03-04 remain in place today.
  23. Mid-Size Cities: The mid-size cities on this Web site are located in metropolitan areas with population of generally less than 1 million* people but greater than 100,000, according to 2010 Census population estimates. All the mid-sized cities for this report were selected based on population of the surrounding metropolitan areas, as well as the number of metropolitan area residents in the CPS sample. All volunteer data for cities are collected from the metropolitan area in which the city is located, including metro area residents outside the city limits. For metropolitan areas that met these population requirements, but did not have enough respondents in the CPS sample, no city volunteer statistics were published. See the Technical Note for more information about city data. *For the first time, according to the 2010 Census estimates, one of the Mid-Size Cities (Tucson, AZ) has a population greater than 1 million.
  24. Millennial Generation: Individuals born in 1982 and after who are at least 16 years old. The Current Population Survey (CPS) also collects labor force and volunteering data for 15-year-old respondents. As in most other publications that use data from the CPS, 15-year-old respondents are excluded from the volunteer statistics published here.
  25. Multi-Unit Housing Rate: The percentage of housing units located in multi-unit residential properties (such as condominium and apartment buildings), as reported by the American Community Survey.
  26. National Service: National service refers to the Corporation's National Service Programs. National service participants in Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn and Serve America programs provide dedicated volunteer service in local communities and the nation to address issues such as education, the environment, public safety, and disaster relief.
  27. Nonprofits per 1000 Residents: The number of nonprofit organizations (not counting churches and congregations) per 1000 residents. Data were collected in July 2011from the August 2010 Internal Revenue Service’s Business Master File. State and county data from this master file were downloaded from the Urban Institute’s National Center for Charitable Statistics and aggregated to form organizations per 1000 residents for metropolitan areas, regions, and the USA.
  28. Older Adults: Individuals aged 65 years old and older.
  29. Organizations: Organizations are established associations, societies, or nonprofits who share a common interest. Examples include youth groups, civic organizations, churches, synagogues, and other religious institutions. The charts published in Volunteering in America represent the percentage of volunteers whose main organization (the one where they serve the most hours) is classified under a given category.
  30. Participating in a Group: The indicators in this category are measured using CPS Civic Engagement Supplement questions related to group involvement. Respondents were asked if they belonged to the following types of groups: a church, synagogue, mosque or other religious institution or organization, not counting attendance at religious services; a school group, neighborhood, or community association such as PTA or neighborhood watch group; a sports or recreation organization such as a soccer club or tennis club; a service or civic association; and any other type of group. Statistics for all geographic areas except the National level are calculated from pooled 2009-2011 CPS data. In 2011 the method of measuring the rate was modified to exclude respondents who missing, did not answer, or were in included in the universe. The prior method included these categories when calculating the percentage, consequently the recalculated rate is higher.
  31. Pooled Volunteer Rate: The volunteer rate, calculated using combined data from two or more successive CPS Volunteer Supplement samples.
  32. Political Action: Calculated from the questions on the November 2008 CPS Civic Engagement and Voting Supplements related to voting, voter registration, and non-electoral participation. Respondents were asked about the following activities: voting in the 2008 Presidential election, registering to vote for the 2008 Presidential election, showing support for a particular party or candidate by, for example, attending a meeting, putting up a poster, or in some other way; buying or boycotting a certain product or service because of the social or political values of the company that provides it; contacting or visiting a public official to express an opinion; attending a meeting where political issues were discussed; and taking part in a march, rally, protest, or demonstration. Voting Supplement questions were re-administered in 2010. In 2011, Civic Supplement questions regarding Political Action were restricted to Voting in Local Elections, contacting public officials, buying or boycotting products, and expressing opinions via the internet on political or community issues.
  33. Service: Calculated from the CPS Volunteer Supplements questions related to volunteering for or through an organization, working with neighbors to fix a community problem, and attending public meetings where community affairs were discussed. Statistics for all geographic areas are calculated from pooled 2009-2011 CPS data.
  34. Social Connectedness: Calculated from the CPS Civic Engagement Supplements questions related to an individual's social network. Respondents were asked about the following activities: eating dinner with other household members (for those that shared a household with other individuals); talking with neighbors; and exchanging favors with neighbors. In 2011 the item "communicating with friends and family via the internet" was modified to seeing or hearing from family or friends.
  35. Technical Note: This document provides background information on data sources and survey instruments, addresses issues of statistical reliability, and defines terms used in the report.
  36. Teenagers: Individuals aged 16 to 19 years old. The Current Population Survey (CPS) also collects labor force and volunteering data for 15-year-old respondents. As in most other publications that use data from the CPS, 15-year-old respondents are excluded from the volunteer statistics published here.
  37. Three-year moving average: Shows data that combines responses from the 2008, 2009, and 2010 volunteer supplements to increase the reliability of the estimates.
  38. Unemployment Rate: The percentage of unemployed individuals in a specified population. This number excludes individuals who are not in the labor force due to retirement or other circumstances.
  39. Veteran:a person who has served on active duty in the United States armed forces.
  40. Volunteer: Persons who performed unpaid volunteer activities at any point during the 12-month period, from September 1 of the prior year through the survey week in September of the survey year. Volunteers answer "yes" to one of the following questions: "Since September 1st of last year, have you done any volunteer activities through or for an organization?" and "Sometimes people don't think of activities they do infrequently or activities they do for children's schools or youth organizations as volunteer activities. Since September 1st of last year, (have you/has he/has she) done any of these types of volunteer activities?"
  41. Volunteer Hours Per Resident: Volunteer hours per resident are calculated as the total volunteer hours served divided by the population aged 16 and over, as estimated from the CPS, for that specific area.
  42. Volunteer Rate: The percentage of individuals who responded on the Current Population Survey's Volunteer Supplement that they had performed unpaid volunteer activities for or through an organization at any point during the 12-month period that preceded the survey.
  43. Volunteer Retention: The proportion of volunteers who also perform volunteer service in the following year. Since the CPS Volunteer Supplement samples overlap by 50% in successive years, volunteer retention rates are calculated using matched pairs of CPS Volunteer Supplement datasets, so that year-1 and year-2 statistics are available for individual respondents. Data from the overlapping portions of the 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 Volunteer Supplements are used to compute retention rates for states, regions, and the USA. Data from the overlapping portions of the 2006-2007, 2007-2008, 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 Volunteer Supplements are used to compute retention rates for metropolitan areas (cities).
  44. Working with Neighbors: Calculated from the CPS Volunteer Supplement question, which asks: "Since September 1, [previous year], have you worked with other people in your neighborhood to fix a problem or improve a condition in your community or elsewhere?"
  45. Young Adults: Individuals aged 16 to 24 years old.