Social Representations of Formal Volunteers and Spontaneous Volunteers in Socio-Natural Disaster Risk Management...

Citizenship plays a fundamental role in the management of socio-natural disaster risk, especially given the increasing impact and frequency of these events. In this context, disaster response is marked by both formal and spontaneous volunteerism.

Using a non-probabilistic sample of 101 volunteers and comparing the social representation of formal volunteers with spontaneous volunteers, prototypical and categorical analyses of social representations were conducted.

Differences were identified between formal volunteers, whose social representation reflects a strong value-oriented and collaborative vision focused on social capital, and spontaneous volunteers, whose social representation is directed toward prosocial values, emotions, and the heroic actions associated with volunteerism.

New avenues are proposed for exercising and strengthening formal volunteerism, accompanied by processes that enable the identification of common value axes and suitability for risk-related work. Additionally, the motivations and actions of spontaneous volunteers are discussed. Finally, sustained coordination is proposed among institutions involved in risk management, formal volunteers, and spontaneous volunteers to optimize human resource management in emergencies.