VOLUNTEERING INFRASTRUCTURE

The most comprehensive data on volunteering in Denmark stems from theDanish study that formed part of the Johns Hopkins Comparative NonprofitSector Project. According to the population survey section of this studyconducted in 2004, 35% of the Danish population perform voluntary work.Converted to population figure, it corresponds to 1.477 million peoplebetween the ages of 16 and 85.Gender and field of activityTable 1. Percentage of the Danish population reporting volunteering last year byfield of activity, 2004 (men, women, and combined).Field Men (%) Women (%) Combined (%)Leisure: culture, sports,recreational, hobby21 15 18Social services and health 4 7 5,5Politics: vocational, political partiesand international6 4 5Teaching and education 3 4 3,5Housing and local community 8 4 6Environment, religion and other 5 5 5Total (%) 38 32 35Source: Inger Koch-Nielsen, Lars Skov Henriksen, Torben Fridberg og David Rosdahl (2005):“Frivilligt arbejde. Den frivillige indsats i Danmark”. København. Socialforskningsinstituttet,rapport 05:20Age and field of activityTable 2. Volunteering (percentage) by age group and field of activityAgeLeisure(%)Social (%)Politics(%)Teaching(%)Housing(%)Other (%)Total volunteering(%)16 – 29 years 18 4 4 3 1 5 3230 – 49 years 23 6 6 6 8 5 4150 – 65 years 15 7 7 1 8 6 3566 + 10 6 2 1 5 5 23Totalpopulation (%)18 6 5 3 6 5 35Source: Inger Koch-Nielsen, Lars Skov Henriksen, Torben Fridberg og David Rosdahl (2005):“Frivilligt arbejde. Den frivillige indsats i Danmark”. København. Socialforskningsinstituttet,rapport 05:20114 Volunteering infrastructure in Europe 8 Denmark