The Volunteer Activities Survey (VAS) is a household-based survey conducted by Statistics South Africa (Stats SA). Stats SA conducted the first survey (VAS 2010) in the second quarter of 2010. The VAS collects information on the volunteer activities of individuals aged 15 years and older in South Africa. The respondents were selected from households who took part in the second quarter Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS). Volunteer activities covers unpaid non-compulsory work; that is, the time individuals give without pay to activities performed either through an organization or directly for others outside their own household.
Data on volunteering provides important information on skills application, social network development, social capital and quality of life outcomes. The main aim of the survey is to provide information on the scale of volunteer work and bring into view the sizeable part of the labour force that is invisible in existing labour statistics. The objectives of the VAS are:
• To collect reliable data about people who are involved in volunteer activities.
• To identify organization-based and direct volunteering.
• To give a profile of those engaged in volunteer activities.
• To estimate the economic value of volunteer work.