Who is motivated to volunteer? A latent profile analysis linking volunteer motivation to frequency of volunteering

There has been considerable interest in identifying the motives that spur people to volunteer. We used a person-centered approach – latent profile analysis – to examine the relationship between intrinsic and extrinsic volunteer motivation and frequency of volunteering in American (N = 589) and Italian (N = 993) college students. Six latent motivation classes were distinguished: Low Intrinsic-Low Extrinsic, Medium Intrinsic-Low Extrinsic, High Intrinsic-Low Extrinsic, High IntrinsicHigh Extrinsic, High Amotivation, and a Response Set class. Students in the High Intrinsic-High Extrinsic class volunteered less frequently than students in the High Intrinsic-Low Extrinsic class, suggesting that external incentives may undermine an individual’s intrinsic motivation to volunteer. Although males were more prevalent in the High Amotivation class, gender differences in selfreported volunteering frequency were not found. Italian students reported volunteering less frequently overall and were more prevalent in the High Amotivation class