Washington--Nearly one in five Americans did some volunteer work during the year that ended in May 1989, and more than 15 percent of those worked with schools or other education programs, according to a federal survey.
The findings, released last month by the Labor Department’s bureau of labor statistics, show that 37.4 percent of an estimated 38 million volunteers over all worked with churches or other religious organizations--the most popular area of activity reported. Educational institutions represented the second most popular area.
The survey was based on a national sample of 60,000 households; interviewees were age 16 or older. Of those who reported volunteering in education, a plurality--26.8 percent--were between the ages of 16 and 19. The next largest age group, accounting for 20.3 percent of education volunteers, was between 35 and 44.
According to the report, 18.8 percent of the women surveyed reported education-related volunteer activities, compared with 10.5 percent of the men.
Hispanic respondents were more likely than other groups to be school volunteers. Some 18 percent of Hispanics reported such activities, compared with 15.1 percent of whites and 12.4 percent of blacks.--lj
