Volunteering, educational attainment, and literacy skills among middle-aged and older adults by racial and ethnic groups in the U.S

Thumbnail Image

Files

accepted manuscript_with citation_EG_OCT24 2022 (1).pdf (470.82 KB)

Links to Files

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03601277.2022.2133818

Permanent Link

https://doi.org/10.1080/03601277.2022.2133818
 http://hdl.handle.net/11603/26272

Collections

UMBC Gerontology Program
UMBC Faculty Collection
UMBC Sociology, Anthropology, and Public Health Department

Author/Creator

Author/Creator ORCID

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2748-1812
 https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2325-126X
 https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2982-4129

Date

2022-10-13

Type of Work

journal articles
postprints
Text

Department

Program

Citation of Original Publication

Donnette Narine, Takashi Yamashita, Wonmai Punksungka, Abigail Helsinger, Jenna W. Kramer, Rita Karam & Phyllis A. Cummins (2022) Volunteering, educational attainment, and literacy skills among middle-aged and older adults by racial and ethnic groups in the U.S, Educational Gerontology, DOI: 10.1080/03601277.2022.2133818

Rights

"This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Educational Gerontology on 13 Oct 2022, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/https://doi.org/10.1080/03601277.2022.2133818"
Access to this item will begin on 04-14-2024

Subjects

Abstract

Volunteer participation benefits societies and individuals. The objective of this study was to examine the roles of education and adult literacy in formal volunteering among a nationally representative sample of the U.S. middle-aged and older adults (45–74 years) by race and ethnicity (Whites, Blacks, Hispanics). Using cross-sectional data (n = 3,770) from the 2012/2014/2017 Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), structural equation models were used to determine mediation relationships among educational attainment, literacy, and volunteering. The effect of educational attainment on formal volunteering was significantly greater among middle-aged and older Black adults compared to their Hispanic counterparts, as well as among middle-aged and older White adults compared to their Hispanic counterparts. However, literacy was the education-volunteering mediator among White adults only. Suggested policy implications include support for volunteer participation through culturally and socioeconomically sensitive approaches along with human capital development in adult life stages.