journal article Sep 12, 2017

Education, Perceived Control, and Volunteering

Sociological Forum Vol. 32 No. 4 pp. 831-849 · Wiley
View at Publisher Save 10.1111/socf.12377
Abstract
The consistent effect of education on volunteering has been explained in a number of ways. In this study we test the hypothesis that perceived control beliefs are partly responsible. Using two waves of panel data from National Survey of Midlife in the United States we estimated cross‐lagged structural equation models in which education is positioned as the exogenous variable and perceived control and volunteering are allowed to be reciprocally related across the two waves. We find that perceived control predicts volunteering, but there is no reciprocal effect: volunteering has no effect on sense of control. One reason, therefore, that educated people are more likely to volunteer is that they have stronger control beliefs. The findings enrich the theory of volunteering by introducing the idea of agency, showing one way in which resources influence the decision to volunteer.
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Showing 50 of 70 references

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Citations
70
References
Details
Published
Sep 12, 2017
Vol/Issue
32(4)
Pages
831-849
License
View
Funding
National University of Singapore Award: CARC‐2016‐001
Cite This Article
Joonmo Son, John Wilson (2017). Education, Perceived Control, and Volunteering. Sociological Forum, 32(4), 831-849. https://doi.org/10.1111/socf.12377
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