Volunteer work in the church among older Mexican Americans.
The purpose of this study is to identify the factors that influence the amount of volunteer work that older Mexican Americans perform in the place where they worship. The relationship between religion and volunteering is viewed from a social identity perspective. Data from a nationally representative sample of older Mexican Americans suggest that Evangelical/Pentecostal church members spend more time performing volunteer work at church than older Mexican Americans who affiliate with other denominations. Moreover, the findings indicate that the difference in the amount of volunteering between the two groups can largely be explained by differences in the nature of the spiritual support that Evangelical/Pentecostal receive from their fellow church members as well as depth of their commitment to their faith.
Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2029, USA. nkrause@umich.edu
Neal
N
Krause
R David
RD
Hayward
D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D017058:Mexican Americans / Q000523:psychology*; D012069:Religion and Psychology; D012933:Social Identification; D012944:Social Support; D014838:Volunteers / Q000523:psychology*