Can Volunteering At Events Lead To A Better Society?

Event volunteering has recently increased in popularity throughout Europe. Few studies have investigated this and there is little information on the consequences of this type of volunteering at cultural events. We studied a representative sample of volunteers at “EXPO Milano 2015”. Data from 2376 participants were collected before and after they volunteered and again five months after the closure of EXPO. Using three questionnaires we investigated many variables (e.g. previous voluntary experience, motivation, civic engagement, etc.). The pre-experience questionnaire measured levels of generalized interpersonal trust, social support, satisfaction with life and happiness (all single items). A well-being index was then created. 1394 participants had volunteered before and 982 were engaging in voluntary service for the first time. We compared the two groups in terms of well-being and civic engagement. The results showed that the first group had significantly higher levels than the second. At the end of their service, 96% of the volunteers declared their intention to serve again in various types of volunteering. The follow-up questionnaire assessed satisfaction and some potential outcomes of serving at EXPO, including a perceived increase in happiness (single item). This increase appears to be one of the principal outcomes and it correlates with the initial level of well-being, as does the degree of satisfaction. These results suggest that event volunteering can promote an individual’s desire to serve in the community. Furthermore, feelings of well-being increase and when the initial level of well-being is high, more is gained in terms of happiness and satisfaction.