Effects of Volunteering on Well-Being Among Young Adults: The Moderating Role of Local Community Contexts

Background: Recent years have witnessed a decline in well-being among young adults as reflected in rising mental health concerns and social isolation, which have emerged as pressing social issues. Volunteering is widely recognized as a source of personal and social well-being across diverse cultural settings, yet empirical findings have been inconsistent, suggesting that its benefits may not be universal. Moreover, prior research has largely focused on the benefits of volunteering, particularly among older adult populations. This study extends existing literature by examining whether the relationship between volunteering and well-being is contingent upon local community context among young adults, a group for whom the meaning and function of volunteering may differ.

Method: Using cross-sectional data from 9,618 Korean young adults aged 19–34 (50.2% female) drawn from a 2020 survey conducted by the Korea Social Enterprise Promotion Agency, we assessed well-being through self-reported happiness and community satisfaction. Volunteering participation (n = 703) was measured as engagement in any volunteer activity during the past year. Community context is conceptualized as a multidimensional construct encompassing community norms, attachment, problem-solving capacity, and perceived inequality. Logistic regression models with interaction terms are used to assess whether community characteristics moderate the association between volunteering and well-being.

Results: Rather than demonstrating a consistent positive association, volunteering exhibits substantial heterogeneity in its effects depending on local conditions. In communities with stronger normative expectations around volunteering, the association between volunteering and well-being was negative (happiness: OR = 0.70, p < .05; community satisfaction: OR = 0.69, p < .05), whereas in communities with higher problem-solving capacity, the association was positive for happiness (OR = 1.32, p < .05). The moderation effects of community attachment and inequality were not statistically significant. These findings suggest that the benefits of volunteering are contingent upon the surrounding social environment.

Conclusion and Implications: These findings suggest that volunteering operates as a socially embedded activity shaped by both normative and structural conditions, rather than as an inherently beneficial behavior. By identifying contrasting moderating effects of community norms and problem-solving capacity, this study advances understanding of the conditions under which volunteering contributes to well-being. Furthermore, by focusing on South Korean young adults, a population and cultural context that remain underrepresented in the literature, this study provides new insight into how developmental and contextual factors shape the outcomes of volunteering. The findings demonstrate the importance of promoting autonomous, meaningful engagement and strengthening community capacity, rather than relying on normative pressure, to enhance well-being among young adults. Future research should incorporate longitudinal designs to assess causal pathways and qualitative approaches to better understand how young adults interpret and experience volunteering within different community contexts.