voluntary organisations, social enterprises and volunteering
voluntary organisations, social enterprises and volunteering
voluntary organisations, social enterprises and volunteering
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The State of Scottish Volunteering 2025: What the Latest Evidence Shows
Created: 08/04/2026
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News/Events Category: Volunteering
Volunteering in Scotland is shifting in important ways. Volunteer Scotland have released a research report on the state of Scottish volunteering in 2025, focusing on a review of current evidence.
Here is a brief overview of the findings:
1. Fragmented communities undermine volunteering
Volunteering is closely tied to wider civic and community engagement. People who volunteer are more likely to feel connected to their communities, participate in local groups and take part in other forms of civic life. However, the evidence shows that these foundations are under strain. Alongside this, wider indicators of community cohesion show signs of pressure. These patterns matter for volunteering: when people feel less safe, less welcome or less connected, they are less likely to participate in community life – including volunteering.
2. Deepening divides in who volunteers
Although volunteer participation is rising overall, gaps by deprivation and disability are deepening. Adults in the least deprived areas of Scotland continue to volunteer at significantly higher rates, and participation among disabled adults is increasing more slowly. Disabled volunteers are also more likely to consider stepping back from their roles, and informal volunteering has fallen slightly among disabled adults while remaining stable for non-disabled adults.
3. Pathways to volunteering are under threat
Volunteering grows where people connect, join and take part – in clubs, hobbies, social action, neighbourhood groups and wider community life. But these everyday participation spaces are under pressure. Cost of living constraints and widening participation gaps mean fewer people have access to the activities that typically lead into volunteering.
4. Rising participation, persistent challenges?
Formal volunteering participation (volunteering with a group, club or organisation) has started to rebound, increasing from 18% in 2023 to 25% in 2024 – the first clear recovery in several years. Despite this, recruitment and retention challenges remain widespread, and many organisations continue to face capacity issues such as limited staff time, coordination demands and volunteer fatigue.
5. Creating positive volunteer experience should be your priority
Across all demographic groups, volunteer experience stands out as the strongest predictor of whether people stay involved in volunteering. Volunteers who feel well supported report dramatically higher satisfaction, and those with positive experiences are far less likely to consider leaving their roles.
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