Trends in Forms of Civic Involvement in the Netherlands between 2008 and 2020

Project info

Project name
4.3. Volunteering for helping refugees in the Netherlands: Building a common identity
Work package
  • Inclusion
Sustainability threat
  • External Shocks
Challenge
  • Accommodating newcomers

Study info

Related studies according to this researcher
Socio-structural Determinants in Volunteering for Humanitarian Organizations: a Resource-based Approach Assessing the ‘Why’ in Volunteering for Refugees: Exploring Volunteer Motivations
Related studies according to other researchers
Socio-structural Determinants in Volunteering for Humanitarian Organizations: a Resource-based Approach
Description of Study
Dutch civil society is seen as well-equipped and known for its high level of civic involvement in various fields. For sustainability of civil society, however, it is crucial to understand to what extent civic involvement changes over time. Therefore, this article describes how civic involvement in the Netherlands has developed in the period 2008–2020. Using longitudinal high-quality survey data, we consider (contradictory or complementary) causes for trends on civic involvement during the period of investigation: (1) ongoing individualization; (2) traditionalization; (3) the role of major societal events that may periodically undermine or boost civil society. We find an overall trend of predominantly stable, yet slowly and statistically significant declining engagement levels that seem robust and relatively unaffected by societal events. Our results also reveal clearly fixed sequences of forms of civic involvement between distinguished (clusters of) organizations. The results in this article are most in line with individualization processes. However, given that the declines are slow and relatively unaffected by societal events, the findings could also be due to the slow process of cohort replacement.
Study research question
To what extent have forms of Dutch civic involvement in different organizations changed in the years 2008–2020 and have these changes possibly been due to period effects?
Collection provenance
  • External data
Collection methods
  • Questionaire
  • Longitudinal survey
Personal data
No
External Source
Source description
LISS modules on Social Integration and Leisure, waves 2008 up to 2020
File formats
Data types
  • Structured
Languages
  • English
Coverage start
Coverage end
01/01/2008
01/01/2021
Spatial coverage
The Netherlands
Collection period start
01/09/2008
Collection period end
01/09/2020

Variables

Unit
Unit description
Sample size
Sampling method
Hypothesis
Theory
We derive the expec-tation that processes of individualization may gradually and slowly erode civil society and involvement forms.
Individualization
It is expected that after a period of erosion of civil society due to individualization, civil society is re-institutionalized by a part of society
Traditionalization
We derive the expectation that these large periodic societal events induce versus reduce civil society, i.e., all forms of involvement
Periodic effects
Variable type
Variable name
Variable description
Dependent variable
Membership of civic organization(s)
—
Dependent variable
Donating to civic organization(s)
—
Dependent variable
Participating in activities for civic organization(s)
—
Dependent variable
Volunteering for civic organization(s)
—
Independent variable
Time
—
Discipline-specific operationalizations
Conflict of interest
No

Data packages

Publications

Trends in Forms of Civic Involvement in the Netherlands between 2008 and 2020

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/epdf/10.1080/17448689.2023.2255695?needAccess=true&role=button http://Trends%20in%20Forms%20of%20Civic%20Involvement%20in%20the%20Netherlands%20between%202008%20and%202020
Journal of Civil Society, 19(4), 464-484

Documents

Filename
Description
Date

Ethics

Ethical assessment
No
Ethical committee
No