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Volunteerism of older adults in the United States

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Abstract

The current study sought to provide a better understanding of the factors that motivate older consumers to engage in volunteering activities in the United States. Using Socioemotional Selectivity theory (SST) as a guide, we examined the influence of age, physical health status, life satisfaction, subjective well-being, and materialism on the older adults’ volunteerism. We also examined the effects of education and income on volunteerism. Results demonstrated that education and income are not related to volunteerism among the older people; age is negatively related to volunteerism. Life satisfaction is not related to volunteerism but materialism, physical health, and subjective well-being are all related to volunteerism. Implications for non-profit organizations are discussed.

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  1. Department of Marketing & Real Estate, Richard College of Business, The University of West Georgia, 1601 Maple Street, Carrollton, GA, 30118, USA

    Yujie Wei

  2. Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Naveen Donthu & Kenneth L. Bernhardt

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  1. Yujie Wei
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  2. Naveen Donthu
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Correspondence to Yujie Wei.

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Wei, Y., Donthu, N. & Bernhardt, K.L. Volunteerism of older adults in the United States. Int Rev Public Nonprofit Mark 9, 1–18 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12208-011-0069-6

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