Factors influencing intention to continue volunteering : a study of older Chinese in Hong Kong

Objective: We extended the volunteer process model (Omoto and Snyder, 1995) to identify factors influencing the persistence of volunteer activities in older Chinese. Method: We individually interviewed 318 older Chinese volunteers about their demographic information, history of volunteer activities, subjective health status, perceived social support, motivation for volunteering, integration into volunteer group, satisfaction from volunteer work, and intention to continue volunteering in the coming year. Results: Bivariate correlation analyses generally supported the volunteer process model. In particular, intention to continue volunteering was related to antecedent factors of high educational attainment, mental well-being, social support, and fulfillment of altruistic and self-oriented motives as well as volunteer experiences of integration into the volunteer group and satisfaction with volunteer work. Results of amultiple regression analysis indicated that fulfillment of self-oriented motives was the most salient factor in predicting the persistence of volunteer activities when shared variances of various factors were also considered. Discussion: Research and practical implications were discussed to facilitate the retention of older Chinese volunteers.