Formal and Informal Social Participation of Public, Non-Profit, and Private Employees

Abstract

Although existing research has focused on the link between employee sector and formal volunteering, no differentiation is made between formal and informal social participation. This study compares the formal and informal social participation of public-, non-profit-, and private-sector employees using recent data from two sources. The results indicate that both government and non-profit employees report higher levels of formal and informal social participation, as measured in several ways. Findings provide a more complete understanding of the multifaceted ways in which citizens can get involved, and emphasize the importance of motivational differences.

Keywords:

• public service motivation (PSM)
• volunteering
• informal social participation
• formal social participation
• civic engagement
• government employees
• non-profit employees