1 in 5 people in S’pore volunteered in 2025, those with social ties did so more often: Study

SINGAPORE – About one in five people in Singapore volunteered for certain causes in 2025, while nearly half donated cash or items in the same year.

Those who volunteered clocked a median of seven hours, and donors gave a median amount of $120.

Adults between 36 and 49 were more likely than youth and seniors to volunteer or donate, while those with a religion or shared social connections – such as married individuals – volunteered more frequently.

These are some of the findings of the National Giving Study 2025, released by the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre (NVPC) on March 31.

Recognising that people with close social ties are more likely to volunteer, the centre plans to expand group-based giving initiatives, such as Giving Circles, where small groups pool their resources to support families in need.

The study surveyed over 3,600 people living in Singapore, who were approached via door-to-door visits between July and October 2025 and completed questionnaires on their giving habits.

Conducted every two to three years since 2000, the study examines giving patterns and the factors that motivate or deter people from giving.

The key results of the latest study were shared at the City of Good Forum 2026 held at the Orchard Hotel, where community, private- and public-sector leaders discussed ways to build a more caring society.

Researchers found that those with close social ties may have both the motivation and opportunity to volunteer more regularly. People whose peers or parents volunteered or donated were more likely to follow suit.

Those who had domestic support, such as help with childcare or caregiving, or had access to volunteer leave at their workplaces were also more likely to volunteer.

Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth Dinesh Vasu Dash, who was the forum’s guest of honour, said in his speech that the Government will continue encouraging individuals to give back in their groups and communities.

Mr Dinesh cited the $50 million SG Partnerships Fund for ground-up initiatives that benefit the community, which was announced in Budget 2026.

The fund will give stronger support to citizen-led projects, lowering barriers to participation and creating opportunities for more Singaporeans to contribute in their areas of interest, he said.

“Our goal therefore is not to simply increase the amount of giving, but to make it part of our everyday life,” said Mr Dinesh, who is also Minister of State for Manpower.

“Every act of giving, whether it is in terms of time, skills, resources or everyday acts of kindness, helps to build the kind of Singapore that we want to see.”

Helping friends, neighbours is also giving

For the first time, participants in the 2025 study were not told the definitions of volunteerism and donation.

Instead, they were asked to describe their giving behaviour. Researchers then assessed if it constituted volunteerism, donation or other ways of helping.

This is a more structured approach and also aligns with how similar studies are done internationally, said NVPC.

The studies in 2021 and 2023 stated the definitions, which the researchers said made the responses more subjective as people could interpret the definitions differently.

In another first, the 2025 study expanded giving behaviour to include “everyday acts of mutual aid” within families, friends or communities – beyond volunteering and donation.

“Focusing solely on volunteering and charitable donation risks overlooking quieter forms of giving that are equally vital to social cohesion, such as the mutual aid and support exchanged within personal networks and daily encounters,” said NVPC.

Helping someone who collapsed on the MRT, supporting a friend in need, caring for community cats and helping a neighbour collect parcels were cited as real-life examples by participants.

The study found that 68 per cent of the participants did such everyday acts, volunteered or donated in 2025, and 76 per cent recalled doing so at some point in their life.

Ms Serene Chen, director of NVPC’s marketing and communications, said the centre has seen more people in Singapore giving informally.

“If you were to look at it from a layman’s perspective, you may think it’s a drop (in volunteering hours), but in fact, it’s actually a different expression in giving,” said Ms Chen.

In the 2023 study, the median number of volunteering hours was 9.4; in 2025, it was seven.

NVPC said the 2025 numbers cannot be compared with those in previous years as researchers used different methods.

Ms Chen said structured ways of volunteering may take a lot of time, and everyday acts matter because these grow a culture of giving in Singapore.

She added that NVPC will create more ways for people to give in groups.

“People do enjoy going together with others to help... maybe it’s seen as a way of bonding with your family members and with your friends.”

NVPC also said its key priorities to strengthen Singapore’s culture of giving include nurturing youth, such as integrating giving in education pathways.

In April 2025, Republic Polytechnic (RP) introduced 15 hours of volunteering in its graduation requirements, the first polytechnic here to do so.

It allocates one day a week and two additional weeks per semester for students to pursue their interests outside the academic field, particularly in community engagement.

Mr Alfred Lee, director of RP’s Centre for Foundational Studies, said the initiative has enabled students to begin volunteering with the communities they have always wanted to support.

RP second-year pharmaceutical science student Cheri Teu, 18, volunteered in support of causes such as youth and elderly mental health during her polytechnic foundation programme in 2024.

In one of her volunteering projects, she assisted in basic health check-ups and conducting adaptive physical activities for Pulau Ubin’s elderly residents.

She said she would continue volunteering despite having already fulfilled the school’s requirements.

“It has sparked a lasting passion in me to make a positive impact on people’s lives and the community through volunteering,” said Ms Teu.