Recieved: 03/03/2023
Accepted: 09/11/2024
Published: 02/12/2025
Keywords: volunteering; cross-cultural differences; volunteering motivation; youth
Pages: 8-17
DOI: 10.11621/npj.2025.0101
Available online: 12.02.2025
Molchanov, S.V. , Almazova, O.V., Poskrebysheva, N.N. (2025). Cross-cultural Features of Volunteering Motivation in Youth. National Psychological Journal, 20(1) , 8-17. https://doi.org/10.11621/npj.2025.0101
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CopyBackground. The study of the volunteering motivation in youth is relevant due to the high importance of volunteering, both in terms of the actual result (providing assistance to those in need), and in terms of positive personal development of participants in the volunteer movement.
Objective. The aim of the study was to study the nature of the motivation for volunteering among young people, taking into account cross-cultural specifics, using the example of two countries: the Russian Federation and the Republic of Azerbaijan.
Study Participants.The sample consists of 156 students aged from 19 to 25 years (M = 20.9; SD = 1.92) from Russia and Azerbaijan, attending universities. The Russian group consists of 81 students, Azerbaijani group included 75 students.
Methods.Volunteering motivation questionnaire by Clary E.G., adopted by Molchanov S.V., Almazova O.V., Poskrebisheva N.N., a technique for assessing the personal qualities of a typical volunteer by Molchanov S.V., Almazova O.V., Poskrebisheva, a questionnaire aimed at identifying the experience of respondents’ volunteering by Molchanov S.V., Almazova O.V., Poskrebisheva were applied.
Results. A comparative study of cross-cultural differences in the motivation for volunteering among young people in Russia and Azerbaijan revealed both similarities and differences in motivation. The similarity is reflected in the high importance of volunteering motivation as a value and source of competencies, and the low importance of volunteering as protection. The differences are that the assessments of “volunteering as a career opportunity” and “volunteering as a social function” are significantly higher among Azerbaijani students than among young people from Russia. The study of the motivation for volunteering among groups of young people with and without experience of participating in volunteer activity confirms the previously established connection between the experience of volunteering and the peculiarities of its motivation.
Conclusions.The results obtained generally confirmed the hypotheses put forward. Cross-cultural differences in the motivation for volunteering were studied and tested with the selected methods to substantiate the significance of the motivation for career opportunities and the social function of volunteering among Azerbaijani youth as compared to Russian. The conducted research led to the understanding that the experience of volunteering is associated with an increase in the similarity of motivation for young people to participate in volunteering.
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Molchanov, S.V. , Almazova, O.V., Poskrebysheva, N.N. . Cross-cultural Features of Volunteering Motivation in Youth. // National Psychological Journal 2025. 1. Pages8-17. doi: 10.11621/npj.2025.0101
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