Are you too busy or too scared of COVID to participate in life like you used to?

The number of volunteers is falling each year and fewer people are participating in community activities. Reports from the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) show there were an estimated 3.3 million volunteers in 2020; the census found just over 2.9 million people had done voluntary work in 2021.

The sagging numbers have even attracted the attention of charities minister Andrew Leigh, who is on a mission to stem the drop-off and halt a crisis in community participation.

He says the problem is broader than volunteerism, claiming that Australians are now less likely to be a member of a community organisation, go to religious services, be a union member, play a team sport, give blood, and don’t have as many friends or know as many neighbours as they used to.

Does that statement ring true for you? Are you now less likely to volunteer your time or join a community group? Why?