Every year on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Americans are encouraged to volunteer to honor the legacy of the late civil rights leader. The federal holiday was officially dedicated to volunteerism in 1994 under the King Holiday and Service Act in a bid to motivate the public to do good in their communities.
While the holiday is a popular time for civic service, the volunteering rate across the US is at record lows, following a steady decline since at least the 2010’s.
The latest official data on community service, released last year by AmeriCorps through the Census Bureau, revealed a particularly steep decline during the pandemic. Less than a quarter of Americans age 16 and older said they formally volunteered through an organization between September 2020 to September 2021, down from 30% in 2019 and the lowest rate recorded since the organization began the survey in 2002. The decline is prevalent across various states and demographic groups, according to the data.
Americans are volunteering less than ever, as service work rates hit a record low https://t.co/8zvV1SOtTc via @citylab
— Bloomberg (@business) January 15, 2024