Volunteering and the Dimensions of Religiosity: A Cross-National Analysis

Religion and volunteerism are closely linked, but which aspects of religiosity matter most for volunteering? This article predicts volunteering with a multi-dimensional model of private and public religiosity using a sample of 9,464 respondents from 15 Western European countries. An interaction between private and public religiosity is also theorized and tested. Three dimensions of private religiosity (religious salience, prayer, and belief) are significant in predicting volunteering, and each has a significant interaction effect with public religiosity, measured by religious attendance. The influence of public and private religiosity on volunteering, and their interaction, differ by religious affiliation.