Survey: Most Israelis want to do volunteer work

Some 67% of Israelis volunteer or would like to do so in coming months, according to a new survey by the Ruach Tova volunteering website.

The survey found that 22.9% of Israelis already volunteer occasionally, and 44.5% of respondents said they would like to begin volunteering in the coming months.

The survey also shows that mentoring is the most popular long-term volunteer work. In the short term, the most popular activity is food packaging.

The survey was commissioned by Ruach Tova, which runs a site that matches volunteers to specific activities. It is the largest portal of its kind in Israel, offering some 7,000 volunteer options, and enables prospective volunteers to find an activity based on their qualifications, the time they have on their hands, their interests and their commitment level. Ruach Tova also runs a call center that guides them throughout the process.

Some 500 Israelis took part in the survey, which was run by Tack Growth Strategies and KDA Communications.

A breakdown of volunteers according to regions shows that volunteer work is more common in the north and south -- more than 27% of Israelis in those areas said they volunteered. In the greater Tel Aviv area, only 18.8% volunteer. Some 21.9% of Jerusalem's residents are involved in volunteer work.

The one area in which volunteer work is most needed is elderly care.