Community Support and Volunteerism in the South Caucasus

Donating, volunteering or simply helping a relative with daily chores can help strengthen communities and boost trust. Data from the 2012 Caucasus Barometer (CB) shows that helping friends and neighbors with household chores is relatively common, while volunteerism remains low in Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan even though the latter is recognized as important and meaningful. A previous blog discussed social capital in the South Caucasus and this blog post aims to provide new data from 2012 to this topic.

Support from others is a crucial element for building trust in a society. The 2012 CB shows that less than half of the populations in Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan feel they have close relatives, friends and neighbors to rely on to help them repair their apartment/house, to take care of them when they are ill, and to lend them money. Across the board, Georgians feel they will most likely receive help in these situations and Azerbaijanis are least likely to say so. 

These questions were originally measured on a 1 to 10 scale where 1= not likely at all and 10=very likely. The results show here combine points 7-10 on this scale.

Armenians are least likely to say they have plenty of people to rely on when they have problems (27%), versus 38% in Azerbaijan and 40% in Georgia. Additionally, fewer Armenians indicated having people that they can completely trust.

These questions were originally measured on a 1 to 10 scale where 1= not likely at all and 10=very likely. The results show here combine points 7-10 on this scale.

Despite the fact that Armenians are least likely to say they have plenty of people to rely on when they have problems, they appear to be more engaged in volunteering with others in certain respects. The CB shows that more Armenians say they have contributed to charity and have helped a neighbor or friend with household chores in the previous 6 months more than in the other two countries. Yet, volunteering without compensation remains a rare practice in the South Caucasus--23% in Armenian, 22% in Azerbaijanis, and 14% in Georgia said they had volunteered without compensation within the past 6 months. 

Dedicating time as a volunteer can make a real difference in communities. Although volunteerism is low in the South Caucasus, people generally have strong ideas about the value of voluntary work. According to the CB, around three fifths of Armenians and Georgians (60% and 65%, respectively) agree that volunteer work is important for a good citizen, and 50% of Azerbaijanis say the same. Interestingly, Georgians feel most strongly about the value of volunteering, yet they are the least engaged in volunteering.

These questions were originally measured on a 1 to 10 scale where 1= not likely at all and 10=very likely. The results show here combine points 7-10 on this scale.

This blog has shown that less than half of populations in all three countries say they have people they can completely trust or rely on when in need. Helping neighbors or friends with housework is relatively common, while volunteerism is low. Despite its low practice, there is a positive attitude about the value of volunteering in all three countries. Volunteering can have a meaningful impact on society. Perhaps this positive orientation can create prospects for future involvement and participation.

If you want find out more about social capital related issues in the South Caucasus, you are welcome to visit CRRC’s interactive online data analysis at http://www.crrc.ge/oda/.