Volunteer mobilisation and old-age support in urban China

In response to demographic and socio-economic shifts in China’s transitional economy, influenced by neo-liberalism, the state has actively encouraged greater volunteer participation in supporting older people in urban China. To understand the effectiveness of volunteer mobilisation for old-age support, 39 qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with older people, supplemented by the views of expert informants including NGO operators, Residents Committee officers, academics and a government official in Beijing and Guangzhou. The findings highlight that older people value the emotional support provided by volunteers. However, policymakers must address challenges related to mobilising volunteers for old-age support. As the state emphasises increased volunteer use to meet the growing needs of older people amid ongoing socio-economic changes, sustaining the long-standing practice of mutual help becomes more difficult. To address this, efforts should focus on establishing a local platform to coordinate volunteer resources, strengthening existing formal community support services with volunteer services serving as a supplementary source and finding ways to sustain young retirees’ involvement as community volunteers, which represents valuable social capital.