1. Religie en het maatschappelijke midden in Nederland René Bekkers Center for Philanthropic Studies Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam May 31, 20131Secularization, so what?

2. Religion in the Netherlands May 31, 2013Secularization, so what?2

3. Giving in the Netherlands May 31, 2013Secularization, so what?3

4. Civic participation tends to be concentrated among a small group that does most of the giving and volunteering. Reed & Selbee (2001, NVSQ) call this group the ‘civic core’. Religious people do more of the total giving and volunteering in the United States, Canada, the Netherlands and Flanders. May 31, 2013Secularization, so what?4

5. You can think of giving and volunteering as a natural phenomenon with a certain level of concentration. May 31, 2013Secularization, so what?5

6. Like firebugs. May 31, 2013Secularization, so what?6

7. Firebugs tend to cling together. In my own front garden I find them especially on dry and sunny places. Churches are like the sunny rocks in my garden – a fertile environment for donors and volunteers. May 31, 2013Secularization, so what?7

8. This is not what the bugs do. May 31, 2013Secularization, so what?8

9. They concentrate - May 31, 2013Secularization, so what?9

10. Into a core. May 31, 2013Secularization, so what?10

11. So, why? Why is religious affiliation and activity associated with giving and volunteering? What is it in religion that makes people care about society as a whole? May 31, 2013Secularization, so what?11

12. Popular dichotomies Conviction and community (Wuthnow, 1991) Intrinsic religious motivation (Cnaan et al., 1993) vs. associational ties (Jackson et al, 1995) Structure and culture (Bekkers, 2000) Norms and networks (Ruiter & De Graaf, 2006) May 31, 2013Secularization, so what?12

13. Volunteering and Giving With Pamala Wiepking I recently summarized the literature on charitable giving in a review article for Voluntary Sector Review (November 2011 issue). Volunteering and charitable giving are two types of contributions to society They are both indicators of social capital, governed by similar principles May 31, 2013Secularization, so what?13

14. May 31, 2013Secularization, so what?14

15. In this formulation, religion is viewed as an external force that influences people. From religious communities, people ‘get’ their networks and convictions. Religious beliefs and prosocial values may vary from person to person. Endogeneity bias; simultaneous choices. May 31, 2013Secularization, so what?15

16. Secularization: so what? This talk is mainly about how the concentration of giving and volunteering among religious groups in the Netherlands has changed over time. This is important because religion disappears from Dutch society. Will giving and volunteering decline along with secularization? May 31, 2013Secularization, so what?16

17. Not… …if those who are ‘left behind’ in churches become more active citizens.  this would lead to a higher level of concentration of giving and volunteering among the religious. …if another factor gains importance, such as education – but I am saving that for another occasion. May 31, 2013Secularization, so what?17

18. The data All the ‘Giving in the Netherlands’ survey data that we have gathered since 1997. Total n=9,696. Winsorized at 99%. The data are treated as separate cross- sections and then pooled into one file. Amounts are adjusted for inflation. May 31, 2013Secularization, so what?18

19. Geefgedrag (1997) 19

20. Geefgedrag (2009) 20

21. Total giving by religion May 31, 2013Secularization, so what?21

22. Religious giving May 31, 2013Secularization, so what?22

23. Secular giving by religion May 31, 2013Secularization, so what?23

24. Vrijwilligerswerk May 31, 2013Secularization, so what?24

25. Increasing concentration May 31, 2013Secularization, so what?25 Proportion of volunteers by total giving quintile

26. Amounts donated by non- volunteers May 31, 2013Secularization, so what?26

27. Amounts donated by volunteers May 31, 2013Secularization, so what?27

28. Household giving: no-yes Catholic1.403***1.438*** Protestant1.757***1.751*** Survey wave1.116*** Catholic * wave1.038*** Protestant * wave0.985 Secondary education1.166***1.191*** Tertiary education1.618***1.673*** Secondary * wave0.915*** Tertiary * wave0.916*** Church attendance (4 categories)1.180***1.182*** Attendance * wave0.997 n9,696 May 31, 2013Secularization, so what?28 Odds ratios in logistic egression of household giving, also including age (model 1) and age * wave (model 2),

29. Amount donated in € Catholic-109***-111*** Protestant216***215*** Survey wave14*** Catholic * wave7*** Protestant * wave3 Secondary education51***71*** Tertiary education160***185*** Secondary * wave-17*** Tertiary * wave-21*** Church attendance (4 categories)125***124*** Attendance * wave2*** n7,857 May 31, 2013Secularization, so what?29 B coefficients in OLS regression of household giving, also including age (model 1) and age * wave (model 2),

30. Volunteering: no-yes Catholic1.142**1.146** Protestant1.723***1.709*** Survey wave1.045*** Catholic * wave0.999 Protestant * wave1.025 Secondary education1.190***1.245*** Tertiary education1.613***1.695*** Secondary * wave0.958*** Tertiary * wave0.963*** Church attendance (4 categories)1.333***1.326*** Attendance * wave1.017*** n9,030 May 31, 2013Secularization, so what?30 Odds ratios in logistic egression of household giving, also including age (model 1) and age * wave (model 2),

31. Amount donated (logs, donors only) Catholic-.063-.097-.098 Protestant.841***.744***.688*** Survey wave.111***.106***.085*** Secondary education.707***.585***.554*** Tertiary education1.393***1.278***1.237*** Volunteering.389***.235***.159 Volunteering * wave.067***.059***.046*** Social responsibility.384***.357*** Altruistic values.628***.582*** Asked to volunteer.108*.058 Number of solicitations.214***.161*** Requests * wave.015* n5,983 May 31, 2013Secularization, so what?31 B coefficients in OLS regressions of log of total amount donated, also including age, age * wave, education * wave, religion * wave

32. Secular amount donated (logs, donors only) Catholic-.063-.259***-.296*** Protestant.283***.098-.064 Survey wave-.026***.114***.085*** Secondary education-.025.585***.522*** Tertiary education.554***1.278***1.304*** Volunteering.375***.132 Volunteering * wave.054**.031 Social responsibility.357*** Altruistic values.643*** Asked to volunteer.057 Number of solicitations.165*** Requests * wave.018** n5,983 May 31, 2013Secularization, so what?32 B coefficients in OLS regressions of log of total amount donated, also including age, age * wave, education * wave, religion * wave

33. Additional results Concentration of giving among the elderly is due to their stronger religiosity. No significant changes in relationships with hours volunteered among volunteers. No changes in relationships of prosocial values with giving. May 31, 2013Secularization, so what?33

34. Additional results Similar denominational differences in helping behavior as in volunteering. Helping is positively related to volunteering, both secular and religious. The relationship between secular volunteering and church attendance has become stronger over time. May 31, 2013Secularization, so what?34

35. Conclusions The civic core is increasingly religious. The civic core is becoming less highly educated. The civic core becomes increasingly concentrated: volunteering and giving increasingly go together. May 31, 2013Secularization, so what?35

36. Concentrating from May 31, 2013Secularization, so what?36

37. To this core. May 31, 2013Secularization, so what?37

38. A grim future? How can we create new forms of cohesion in society that bring people together? Creating opportunities to contribute time and money in groups with positive norms: sunny rocks May 31, 2013Secularization, so what?38

39. May 31, 2013Secularization, so what?39 Something else -

40. 40 Dank!

41. Contact ‘Giving in the Netherlands’, Center for Philanthropic Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences, VU University Amsterdam: www.geveninnederland.nl www.geveninnederland.nl René Bekkers, r.bekkers@vu.nlr.bekkers@vu.nl Blog: renebekkers.wordpress.comrenebekkers.wordpress.com Twitter: @renebekkers May 31, 201341Secularization, so what?