Population Ageing and Volunteering in Romania

Population ageing will lead to a dramatic change in Romania’s age structure. Future cohorts of older Romanians will be more numerous and they are likely to be more highly educated, be in better health, and have more discretionary time, all of which are characteristics conducive to high levels of volunteering. Despite the known benefits of involvement in voluntary activities, such participation is currently at an extremely low level among older Romanians. In addition to documenting these demographic trends, the benefits of volunteering, and current levels of voluntary activities, this article asks why voluntaristic participation is so low among older Romanians. Building on Stula’s notion that volunteering should be seen as an “instrument of health policy,” the article concludes by suggesting some steps that might be taken to encourage and promote voluntarism among Romanian elders.

Keywords: Population ageing, elders, volunteering, social participation, Romania