Study reveals volunteers more likely to be happy with life

Vimita Mohandas Channel NewsAsia 1 Oct 13;

SINGAPORE: A national study has found that Singaporeans who volunteer or donate are more likely to be satisfied and happy with their lives.

The Subjective Well-being Survey was done as part of the National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre's (NVPC) Individual Giving Survey in 2012. It is also the first time this large-scale national study was conducted to establish the link between giving and happiness in Singapore.

The study found that two-thirds of people who volunteered and or donated had high levels of subjective well-being, while less than half of non-givers had a high level of satisfaction.

It also highlighted that among volunteers who were satisfied with their experience with their non-profit organisations they volunteered in, 88 per cent intend to volunteer again in the future. This compared with 70 per cent for those with low satisfaction.

Meanwhile, for donors who were satisfied with their experience donating to non-profit organisations, 92 per cent intend to donate in future, compared to 78 per cent for donors who had low satisfaction.

The NVPC hopes that these findings will spur more people to volunteer, donate or both.

The centre's CEO, Lawrence Lien, said: "It's important in our context because even though we think it's intuitive, there are still people who might not give it priority.

"People on the ground quite often would say 'well, let me settle everything else in my life. I'm so stressed out, I've got so little time', but that shows that they might not give giving a priority in their lives."

- CNA/ec

Happy people give and gain more with volunteer work: Singapore study
Siau Ming En Today Online 30 Sep 13;

SINGAPORE — Happy people are more likely to donate and to volunteer, and those who do so tend to become happier, according to results released today (Sept 30) from the first national study in Singapore on the relationship between giving and subjective well-being.

Conducted by the National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre (NVPC) and Professor David Chan — a Lee Kuan Yew Fellow and Professor of Psychology and Director of the Behavioural Sciences Institute at Singapore Management University — the study covered 1,512 individuals aged 15 and above and is part of NVPC’s Individual Giving Survey 2012.

Mr Laurence Lien, the Chief Executive Officer of NVPC, said today that many do not have time, nor see the act of giving as something that is “personally meaningful” to them. He added that with the survey results, chances are, people will now place volunteering and donating higher on their list of priorities.

Likewise, Professor Chan noted that the survey results are “not obvious” as some people will see it from a standard economic perspective, where giving involves losing time and money. He explained this is why it is “important” to establish the relationship between giving and subjective well-being.

The study showed that 66 per cent of those who volunteered and/or donated were satisfied and happy with their lives as compared to the 45 per cent figure among non-givers.

On top of that, the study also examined the relationship between givers’ intention to give in future and their experience with non-profit organisations.

About 88 per cent of volunteers who said that they were satisfied with their experience with the non-profit organisations they worked with indicated their intention to continue volunteering in the future. By comparison, only 70 per cent of those who were less satisfied said that they would continue to do so.

Me Lien noted that the results showed that it is important for non-profit organisations to manage volunteers and donors effectively, to develop “a positive giving experience” which would then increase the likelihood for volunteers and donors to continue giving.

Charitable people 'tend to be happier'
Janice Tai Straits Times 1 Oct 13;

SINGAPORE residents who volunteer or donate money to help others are more likely to be satisfied or happy with their lives, a national study has found.

Those who give more, whether of time or money, and more frequently, also tend to rate higher on satisfaction and happiness.

This is because people who give derive a sense of personal meaning from helping others and become more grateful for what they have, said Professor David Chan, director of the Behavioural Sciences Institute and professor of psychology at the Singapore Management University.

Prof Chan was the consultant for the survey commissioned by the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre (NVPC).

Another motivating factor is the sense of community created through interaction with the people they help, he added.

This is the first time a national study has established the link between giving and happiness.

It was done as part of NVPC's Individual Giving Survey last year, which interviewed 1,512 Singapore residents.

The bi-yearly survey tracks volunteerism and philanthropy trends in Singapore. It found that two-thirds of those who volunteered or donated in the past year were satisfied and happy with their lives. In contrast, 45 per cent of those who did not volunteer or donate were satisfied.

And more than 70 per cent of those who served 12 or more volunteer hours, or gave $100 or more in the last 12 months registered high levels of well-being compared to 63 per cent of those who gave less time and 59 per cent who gave less money.

Well-being was measured using a 10-item index, which asked individuals the extent to which they feel satisfied or happy.

Prof Chan said the results of this survey were consistent with other research. "Happy people are more likely to give, but people who give also tend to become happier. This leads to a positive spiral in which both givers and recipients benefit," he said.

NVPC chief executive Laurence Lien said he hopes the survey results will encourage people to give back to society more regularly.

Madam Tay Hui Chan, 70, embodies the sentiment. She cooks every week for 20 to 30 elderly folks in her neighbourhood.

"When they are happy, I am also happy," she said. "We are a family."