Findings from our research into what creates and sustains active citizenship.
Involve’s Pathways through Participation research, with NCVO and the Institute for Volunteering Research, showed that the reasons people start, continue or stop participating are shaped by a multitude of factors that shift in significance over time and are in turn shaped by the impact of participation itself. These factors are:
- individual factors, including motivations, personality, identity and resources
- relationships and social networks, including with an individual’s family, friends, neighbours and colleagues
- the groups and organisations through which people participate, and the particular structures, processes and culture of those groups;
- the local environment and place, including local spaces, events, institutions and politics
- wider societal and global factors, including national events, social movements and long-term societal and global trends.