• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.54
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• pp.221-243
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• 2003

Activity theory explains that the old people participate in social activity as a role-substitute from loss of roles given by work and family. It is possible to enhance their life satisfaction through these activities. Based on this activity theory, this study aims at explore the role substitute of voluntary activities and to analysis whether volunteering commitment has an effect on life satisfaction. Data were collected by using survey questionnaires to the elderly over 55 years old who participated in voluntary activity at 25 Volunteer Centers in Seoul. The Activity theory was operationalized by job or joblessness, family type, achievement type obtained through voluntary activity The results are as follows. (1) Job or joblessness has effect on the activity frequence and activity time. (2) Social achievement after voluntary activity has effect on the duration only (3) And the family type did not have any effect. These three variables of activity theory do not have an effect on life satisfaction. The elderly volunteering commitment was explained by variables other than activity theory such as reward, health, education, sex. And the elderly volunteer's life satisfaction were affected by the family types and their economic status. These results imply that the Korean elderly voluntary activities could be expained partially by Activity theory. Also for these elder volunteers's life satisfaction, qualitative respects such as achievements through voluntary activity, and concerns and support by agencies are more important than the time they imput in voluntary activities.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.444-460
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• 2017

The duration of volunteering can be analyzed in terms of commitment and attachment. Previous studies have investigated the duration of volunteering predominantly from the perspective of commitment. Alternatively, this study focuses on the concept of attachment and investigates the characteristics of those who volunteer habitually over their whole life, regardless of the regularity and the intensity of the volunteer work. In so doing, the study attempts to identify factors associated with the attachment to volunteering. Data came from a sample of 8,415 participants, ages over twenty who responded to all the surveys of the Korea Welfare Panel Study, from Wave 1 to 10. Zero-inflated negative bionomial regression model was employed to analyze the total number of volunteering in the past ten years. Findings show that people with high attachment to volunteering were those with religion, less education, and a strong sense of reciprocity. Based on the findings, we provide the practical implications for the improved operation and management of volunteer organizations.