Involuntary Volunteerism: What Happens When You Require People to "Do Good?"
Henney SM, Hackett JD, Porreca MR · 2018
grade Dlongitudinalindependentunclear
Sample
357 students at a diverse urban university
Population
Undergraduates at the University of Houston-Downtown.
Design
Cross-sectional questionnaire study, no control group, no randomisation, no follow-up. Surfaced while searching for evidence on mandated service; it is not evidence about school-age children or about causal effects.
Key findings
Reports a gap between hypothetical distaste for required volunteering and actual post-hoc attitudes: after doing mandated service for a class, most participants were supportive of the experience, and the authors conclude required service did not damage future volunteer intentions. The outcome is INTENTIONS, and it contradicts Helms 2013's behavioural finding - which is exactly why intentions are not an acceptable substitute for behaviour in this cluster.
Genetic confound
Not assessed in detail; see exclusion note.
Replication notes
Not assessed - set aside before an adversarial pass.
Effects
| Outcome | Metric | Value | Measure | Timing | Vs | Horizon | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attitudes toward and intentions to continue volunteering after mandated service | cross-sectional survey | mostly supportive after the experience; no measured effect on behaviour | self-report of intentions | undergraduate | none | not-applicable | non-cognitive |