23.04.2025 | Fachbeitrag
What motivates people to volunteer in the field of civil protection and disaster management? What do they expect from the state and society? What is the current state of the emergency response organisations? The latest study results offer exciting insights from the perspective of both the volunteers and the organisations in which they are involved.
The proportion of the total population in Germany that is involved in civil protection and disaster management remains constant at around three percent of the resident population – around 1.76 million people aged 18 and older volunteer in civil protection and disaster management. The three strongest motives for volunteering, cited by more than 90 % of respondents, were the desire to help others, doing something good for the common good and having fun volunteering.
Two thirds of those who volunteered stated that they spent between two and five hours a week on this, while the other third invested even more time in volunteering. 90% of this time is spent on practical work and around 80% on personal assistance.
Greater crisis awareness, greater need for resources
Nobody wants to get involved anymore? Not quite – of all civil society organisations, the operational civil protection and disaster management organisations* recorded the largest increase in memberships while at the same time recording the lowest number of member departures. It is possible that a growing social awareness of current threats is increasing the desire to help – but: only a third of operational organisations state that they have enough members to carry out all tasks satisfactorily. This could possibly also be a consequence of the increasing demands.
Strong cohesion, socially mixed
While the cultural and gender diversity of volunteers in civil protection is growing rather slowly, it is traditionally characterised by a high mix of educational qualifications. Most of the almost two million volunteers have a secondary school diploma (35%), followed by the group with a (technical) baccalaureate or vocational school diploma (30%) and finally the group with a lower secondary school diploma (27%) and school pupils, who make up eight per cent. Volunteering is therefore a real social melting pot.
Even if the individual biographies are different, they are all united by the desire to help others in need. Accordingly, four out of five respondents see their aid organisation as a community of like-minded people who not only support each other, but also share common values. Seven out of ten organisations have already published these values in the form of guidelines for democracy and diversity.
Local roots, nationwide responsibility
You can help anywhere, but logically you start on your own doorstep first. Four out of five operational organisations are active directly on site, i.e. in their local community. About a half of them state that they have also been deployed nationwide, especially when dealing with large-scale operations. Accordingly, volunteers in civil protection have a comparatively above-average self-image as a service provider for society and see themselves in a partnership with the state. 17 out of 20 respondents see a clear division of tasks – the state has the financial responsibility and they are responsible for the implementation. In order to better fulfil this responsibility, more than half of those surveyed would like more support in providing suitable spaces and resources for their own work. What the respondents would like to see less of is bureaucracy in the reimbursement of costs incurred when carrying out voluntary work (47%).
Conclusion
Volunteering in civil protection brings people together who enjoy helping in the community and are not afraid to lend a hand. Whether fire brigades, THW or aid organisations – there are meaningful activities for everyone that suit their own wishes and interests.
Curious? Then take a look at our interactive map and find your way into volunteering: https://mit-dir-fuer-uns-alle.de/standorte-finden/
*By operational civil protection and disaster management organisations, we mean the 5 private aid organisations DRK, DRLG, JUH, ASB and MHD. THW and volunteer fire brigades are not included in this term, as they are not included in the list of associations on which the study is based, as they are organisations under the auspices of the federal government or local authorities.