Expectation of Reciprocity and Other-Focused Values Foster Informal Volunteering Intentions in Disasters: Evidence From Finland
基于社会资本理论，调查了互惠信念和个人价值观如何影响芬兰民众在灾害中的非正式志愿服务意愿，发现信任权威和期望互惠的人更可能在当局号召下参与，而利他价值观高的人无论自发还是响应号召都更愿意参与。
Decentralization of disaster management calls every sector to contribute to disaster management—including private citizens. While literature on formal volunteering is rich, less is known about drivers of informal volunteering and the differences between doing so spontaneously or with prompting from authorities. Drawing on social capital theory, we investigated whether beliefs in reciprocity and individual values impact informal volunteering intentions in a disaster. 1,019 Finnish participants completed an online survey. Unexpectedly, demographic variables did not impact volunteering intentions, but those who trusted authorities and expected that one would receive help from others were more likely to volunteer when prompted by authorities. Furthermore, those higher in other-focused values were more likely to volunteer both spontaneously and when asked by authorities. We show that expectations of reciprocity and concern for others promote informal volunteering, demonstrating people’s willingness to help, and illuminating ways through which to engage private citizens in disaster management.