Big Society must avoid politics to succeed

New survey finds only one in ten people intend to volunteer in the next two years and suggests the Big Society must avoid "political associations" to succeed.

The Hansard Society's post election poll undertaken by Mori surveyed 1,200 people and found a marked level of apathy towards community involvement.

Whilst 51% of respondents felt that volunteering could make a difference only 10% intended to do something within the next two years.

The poll found that parents under 45 from high income groups were more likely to get involved, in particular those that felt strongly about an issue or if they were directly affected by it.

The poll also found that although 14% were already active in the community and 14% were willing to be active, 35% described themselves as unenthusiastic or preferring to remain as onlookers.

While the research suggests people think volunteering can have more impact locally than nationally, people are generally less aware of what is happening on their doorstep than they are about national issues and controversies.

A spokesperson for Hansard said, "People say they are interested in being more engaged locally but, on the whole, are not willing to actually commit to activities. They are not very altruistic. It is self-interest that motivates them to action - when an issue affects them or their community in a personal way."

Responding to the results Minister for Civil Society, Nick Hurd, said, "Everything we're doing is trying to change what's possible to achieve at a local level so people feel more motivated to give time, to come together, to work with others to try and find new ways of doing things or improving things in a local area."