Impact of Commute Distance on Volunteering Rates in the Greater Sydney Region, Australia

Abstract

Volunteering generates a range of benefits for volunteers and the community. A crucial constraint on an individual’s capacity to volunteer is the availability of spare time. In this study, we test the hypothesis that workers with longer commute distances (and therefore less spare time) are less likely to volunteer. To test this hypothesis, we use spatially aggregated data on workers’ volunteering rates and commute distances across the Greater Sydney Region, Australia. We find that workers with longer commute distances within each region have significantly lower volunteering rates than workers with shorter commute distances, controlling for spatial variation in the availability of volunteering opportunities. Based on this finding, we expect factors like working from home and urban planning to influence volunteering rates and associated benefits for individuals and communities.