What Really Motivates People to Volunteer? Uncovering the Hidden Motives Among Thai Youth

This study investigates what motivates young Thai adults to volunteer using a multimethod approach across three studies. A survey of 781 undergraduate students in Thailand (Study 1) identified values, self-protection, and self-image as significant predictors of volunteering intention, with social motives relevant specifically for those lacking prior experience. A laboratory experiment (Study 2, n = 786) showed that social information increases volunteering behavior while higher opportunity costs reduce it, with self-image exerting no effect in the lab context. A randomized controlled field experiment (Study 3, n = 480) confirmed that social information and peer involvement each increased real-world volunteering by 22-25 percentage points. Together, the findings demonstrate that social motives are the critical mechanism linking intentions to action, particularly in a collectivist cultural context, offering practical guidance for nonprofit organizations designing volunteer recruitment strategies.