Why minors volunteer—A mixed-method study of motivational factors in underage Generation Z volunteers in Europe

Abstract

Motivational factors in young volunteers are a long-standing research issue, but evidence on Generation Z, and particularly minor volunteers, is thin. Furthermore, most studies have been conducted in the Anglo-American context, even though motives have been shown to differ across countries. The present article explores motivational factors of young (underage) philanthropists belonging to Generation Z in a European country—Austria. The study tests widely researched motivational factors in a yet underrepresented population, but also captures further factors that motivate minors to volunteer for a specific nonprofit organization. We follow a two-tiered mixed-method approach: first, qualitative data yielded from 12 expert interviews are used to amend, adapt, and further inform a quantitative survey. Second, seven focus groups with 48 young volunteers were conducted to compare and contrast motivational factors with quantitative results, but also to capture further motivational factors. The results show that the widely applied Volunteer Functions Inventory and factors rooted in Self-Determination Theory capture some, but not all motivational factors in the specific group of Generation Z minor volunteers in central Europe. This research highlights factors that may be specific to the study group: the role of the supervisory team, the types of activities, and the aspect of voluntariness.