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Trends in Volunteer Mentoring in the United States: Analysis of a Decade of Census Survey Data
Author(s) -
Raposa Elizabeth B.,
Dietz Nathan,
Rhodes Jean E.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
american journal of community psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.113
H-Index - 112
eISSN - 1573-2770
pISSN - 0091-0562
DOI - 10.1002/ajcp.12117
Subject(s) - census , attrition , current population survey , population , health psychology , american community survey , ethnic group , survey data collection , political science , psychology , demography , gerontology , economic growth , public health , sociology , medicine , law , nursing , economics , statistics , mathematics , dentistry
Over the past decade, considerable resources have been devoted to recruiting volunteer mentors and expanding mentoring programs. It is unclear whether these efforts have helped to counter the broader national trends of declining volunteer rates. The current study uses data from the Volunteering Supplement of the Current Population Survey (CPS), sponsored by the U.S. Census Bureau and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, to explore population‐level trends in mentoring over the past decade. Results suggest that mentoring rates have remained relatively stable over the past decade, but that the population of mentors has changed somewhat in terms of age, ethnicity, educational background, and region of the United States. In addition, certain sectors of the mentor population show higher rates of attrition from 1 year to the next. Findings have important implications for the development of recruitment, training, and mentor support practices within mentoring organizations, as well as policies designed to meet the needs of at‐risk youth in the U.S.