Volunteering

Nearly 1 in 5

(19%) veterans volunteered. This was higher than people who had never served in the ADF (14%).

Veterans with disability

were more likely to volunteer (21%) than people with disability who had never served in the ADF (14%).

Veterans not in the labour force

were more likely to volunteer (22%) than people who had never served in the ADF who were not in the labour force (15%).

How did we measure rates of volunteering in veterans?

As part of the HILDA self-completion questionnaire, respondents are asked how much time they spend volunteering or engaging in charity work (for example, canteen work at the local school, unpaid work for a community club or organisation) during a typical week. 

For the analysis of Wave 21 HILDA data in this section, respondents who reported spending more than zero minutes of volunteer or charity work during the week are categorised as volunteers.

On this page, only the proportions of people who indicated that they volunteered are reported.

Comparing to people who have never served in the ADF

Overall, analysis of self-reported data from Wave 21 of HILDA indicated that people who had ever served in the ADF (herein referred to as ‘veterans’) were more likely to volunteer than people who had never served in the ADF (19% compared with 14%, respectively).

Many subgroups of veterans volunteered at rates higher than people who had never served in the ADF from the same subgroups. This includes veterans who were:

  • male (18%, compared with 13% of people who had never served in the ADF)
  • not in the labour force (that is, neither working nor looking for work) (22%, compared with 15% of people who had never served in the ADF)
  • not in financial stress (19%, compared with 15% of people who had never served in the ADF)
  • living in Major cities (20%, compared with 13% of people who had never served in the ADF)
  • living in New South Wales (23%, compared with 13% of people who had never served in the ADF)
  • with disability (21%, compared with 14% of people who had never served in the ADF)

However, some of these findings may be explained by most veterans in the Wave 21 HILDA data being aged 65 years and older, as this older age group were more likely to volunteer than younger respondents (regardless of ADF service status). For more information on the age distribution of veterans in Wave 21 of HILDA, see A profile of veterans in Wave 21 of HILDA.

Comparing between subgroups of veterans

Some subgroups of veterans were also more likely to volunteer than others. This includes veterans who were:

  • aged 45 to 64 and aged 65 years and older (17% and 25% respectively, compared with 7.4% of veterans aged 18 to 44)16 17
  • not in the labour force (that is, neither working nor looking for work) (22%, compared with 8.3% of veterans employed full-time)18 (Figure 8).

Figure 8: Rates of volunteering, by individual characteristics and ADF service status, 2021–22

The bar chart shows rates of volunteering by individual characteristics. Findings show that some subgroups of veterans were more likely to volunteer than the same subgroups in the broader Australian population, such as those with disability and those not in the labour force.

Why did we measure volunteering among veterans?

Volunteering refers to a person donating their time to help an organisation, or someone in need, for no financial gain (Study Australia n.d.). In addition to benefiting their communities through providing important services to others, volunteering can also broaden an individual’s social network, deepen their professional skills, promote good mental health, and decrease social isolation (AIHW 2021). 

According to the 2021 Census, veterans were more likely to have volunteered in the previous 12 months (21%) than people who had never served in the ADF (15%) (ABS 2022).

Without the structure and camaraderie of military life, veterans may find it hard to break into civilian social circles. By engaging in volunteer work, veterans may be able to establish connections with individuals and communities and capitalise on the training and expertise provided by the ADF to serve their communities (DVA 2022). International research has indicated that both social isolation and loneliness may decrease among some veterans after they engage in volunteering (Matthieu et al. 2017). As such, volunteering may serve to protect veterans against issues with social connectedness (Brown et al. 2012).

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