Volunteering during the pandemic has had 'dramatic impact' on health
Surrey University professor says now is the time to encourage civic participation
Last updated 30th Nov 2021
A study partly put together by the University of Surrey has found that volunteering has had a dramatic impact on many people's mental and physical health during the pandemic.
The University worked with the Royal Voluntary Service (RVS) to put together a survey of 2,500 adults across the country.
The results suggest people in the country's most deprived neighbourhoods have suffered from reduced social interaction during the pandemic and are now paying the price in poorer mental and physical health.
The charity is now calling on the Government to encourage more people to give up their time to help out their communities.
Volunteering can be a "powerful tool" to help address health inequalities, said the RVS.
Professor Kimberley Smith, senior lecturer in clinical health psychology at the University of Surrey, who helped with the study, said:
"The pandemic has revealed significant regional health disparities and exacerbated poor health, with those in the poorest communities suffering disproportionately.
"Part of the solution in reversing these trends is capitalising on the resurgence of civic participation."
"Volunteering can help us build a fairer and healthier society"
The report also recommends that volunteering be recognised as a public health intervention, and be built into the Government's levelling up agenda.
Chief executive Catherine Johnstone said: "A civic-minded nation is a happier and healthier nation. By encouraging and supporting volunteering in communities we can improve the lives of millions of people. No more so than in our most deprived communities.
"Making volunteering a key part of the recovery will help us build back a fairer and healthier society. It is a driver for health and happiness which will, in turn, support economic productivity."