According to the results of a recent poll, commissioned by the Ministry for Family Affairs and Integration and carried out by TNS-Ilres, 59% of people in Luxembourg do some form of volunteer work. While some actively help run a club or association, others support their neighbours or vulnerable people in their lives. The details of the poll were presented to the Chamber of Deputies on Monday morning.
Volunteer work is most common among people with a higher education degree and among those who have stayed in the same town since growing up. MP Djuna Bernard from the Greens commented on the poll: “The primary reason for volunteer work is to help other people, the second one is to feel joy by contributing to a community.”
64% of people who stated to not do any volunteer work enlisted lack of time, not motivation, as their reason. “I think that is an important indicator and something politicians need to consider when taking decisions in the future. If people do not have the time to contribute to society, to help others, then we may have to find ways of giving people back time.”
CSV MP Marc Spautz said the motivation to help others was clearly present among the population. “We saw this in particular during the Covid pandemic, as well as in the aftermath of the tornado in Käerjeng and Pétange, or last summer’s floods,” he said. “There is a distinct sense of solidarity in this country. We must make use of it in terms of benevolent activities”.
One issue is the lack of awareness and knowledge of the various options for volunteering in Luxembourg. “People would be more motivated to volunteer if they had more information on where to turn. This is a task for politicians, but the Agence du Bénévolat, the ministry responsible, and the municipalities also need to further promote volunteering. “
Only 31% of Luxembourgers have heard of the Agence du Bénévolat, the volunteer agency which connects candidates with associations in need of volunteers.
