Generation Z’s Sustainable Volunteering: Motivations, Attitudes and Job Performance

Willingness to Consume and Purchase Food with Edible Insects among Generation Z in Poland

The consumption of insects (entomophagy) is attracting attention for economic, environmental and health reasons. The wide range of edible insect species, rich in protein, fat, minerals, vitamins and fibre, can play an important role in addressing global food insecurity. However, consumer acceptance remains a major barrier to the adoption of insects as a food source in many countries, including Europe. The aim of this study was to determine whether health and environmental concerns, attitudes and intentions towards purchasing edible insects and foods containing edible insects are associated with willingness to consume edible insects and foods containing edible insects among young consumers (Generation Z) in Poland. An empirical study was carried out in 2023, using a questionnaire with an indirect interview method via an online platform. On the basis of surveys conducted among Generation Z in Poland, it can be concluded that health and environmental concerns determine the willingness to consume selected products containing edible insects. At the same time, it should be noted that the more positive the respondents' attitudes towards health and environmental concerns are, the greater their willingness to consume foods containing edible insects is. Attitudes and intentions towards purchasing foods containing edible insects were positively correlated with willingness to purchase and consume this type of food. The results obtained can contribute to efforts to promote the legitimacy of the production of new foods with edible insects in their composition.

The Volunteer Functions Inventory (VFI): Adaptation and Psychometric Properties among a Portuguese Sample of Volunteers

The Volunteer Functions Inventory (VFI) is an instrument widely used to assess volunteers' motivation based on the Functionalist Model of Omoto and Snyder. It assesses six factors that reflect several motivational functions. The VFI has been translated into various languages and validated in different cultural contexts, but some studies have reported different factor structures (e.g., five or four factors). In the Portuguese context, previous studies have also shown inconsistent results. The aim of this study was to adapt and validate the VFI for Portuguese volunteers, testing several alternative models (nine models) using confirmatory factor analysis. The sample comprised 468 volunteers (76.3% women), aged from 13 to 81 years (M = 36.66, SD = 14.93). The results support the original interrelated six-factor model as the best-fitting one. The VFI showed good internal consistency and convergent validity. Significant correlations were found between the VFI factors, organizational commitment, and volunteers' satisfaction. Overall, the six-factor VFI is a valid and reliable tool for measuring the motivational functions of Portuguese volunteers, with implications for practice and research in the volunteering field.

Stress load and volunteer motivation of patient volunteers in Fangcang shelter hospitals in Shanghai, China during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional survey

OBJECTIVES

This study aims to assess the volunteer motivation and stress load of patient volunteers in the Fangcang shelter hospitals (FSHs), examine their associations, and explore the potential influence factors of volunteer motivation.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional online survey conducted from 21 April to 20 May 2022.

SETTING

Questionnaires were collected from patient volunteers selected by random cluster sampling in the FSHs in Shanghai, China.

PARTICIPANTS

197 participants who met the inclusion criteria as patients who were asymptomatic or presenting with mild symptoms in the FSHs and who volunteered to assist with routine work under quarantined settings.

OUTCOME MEASURES

We investigated sociodemographic information, stress load and volunteer motivation through an online survey using the Volunteer Function Inventory and the Stress Overload Scale. Comparisons between groups were conducted by applying t-tests or analysis of variance. The correlation between volunteer motivation and stress was analysed by Pearson correlation. Influencing factors of volunteer motivation were determined by multivariable linear regression models. A value of p<0.05 was used to declare statistical significance.

RESULTS

The mean score of volunteer motivation of patient volunteers was 73.24 (SD 12.00), while that of stress load was 46.08 (SD 21.28). The mean scores of the personal vulnerability (PV) and event load (EL), two dimensions of stress load, were 26.99 (SD 12.46) and 19.09 (SD 9.63), respectively. The majority of the participants (136, 69.04%) were grouped in the low (PV)-low (EL) stress category. Participants' volunteer motivation was negatively correlated with stress load (r=-0.238, p<0.001), as well as PV (r=-0.188, p<0.01) and EL (r=-0.283, p<0.001). Multivariable linear regression analysis identified that the potential influencing factors of volunteer motivation were occupation (B=1.100, 95% CI 0.037 to 2.164, p=0.043), health condition (B=-3.302, 95% CI -5.287 to -1.317, p<0.001) and EL (B=-0.434, 95% CI -0.756 to -0.111, p=0.009). Participants who worked in the public sector, had better health conditions and had lower EL were more likely to have higher volunteer motivation.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study suggested that reducing stress load might be a possible pathway to encourage and maintain volunteerism in the FSH context. Implications and suggestions for future research on patient volunteer recruitment and management could be drawn from our findings.

Understanding the key drivers in using mobile payment among Generation Z

Purpose

This quantitative study aims to examine the determinants that impact the behavioral intention to use mobile payment (m-payment) among Generation Z (Gen Z) customers in Indonesia.

Design/methodology/approach

The theoretical model comprises seven latent variables: effort expectancy, performance expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions, promotional activities, perceived security and behavioral intention. In addition, the two moderating factors of education and gender are used to investigate the significant effect of the determinants on intention to adopt m-payment. This study obtained the final data size of 430 respondents. The data analysis is conducted using structural equation modeling.

Findings

The results substantiate the significance of promotional activities, perceived security, performance expectancy, effort expectancy and social influence, on the behavioral intention to accept m-payment systems. Gender is revealed to significantly moderate two constructs: social influence and promotional activities, on the m-payment usage intention. Meanwhile, education moderates the effect of perceived security on behavioral intention.

Originality/value

This research is expected to fill the gap because only a few studies discuss the determinants affecting m-payment usage in Indonesia, especially among Gen Z-ers. Furthermore, the new findings associated with the role of two moderating factors become important practical implications because most of the prior studies often ignore the moderating factors.

Motivations, attitudes for choosing dental profession and preferred dental specialties amongst Turkish dental students

AIM

The aim of the study was to investigate the influential factors for choosing dentistry, their thoughts about the profession, their expectations for the future and their thoughts about the specialisation of dental students from all grades in the School of Dentistry, Marmara University.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Socio-demographic information, influential factors the choice of profession, thoughts and expectations about dentistry, and thoughts about the specialisation were evaluated in the questionnaire that included different question types in four separate sections. Chi-square test was used to assess the relationship between categorical variables, and multiple linear regression was performed to examine the combined effects of variables that influence the always dream of becoming a dentist.

RESULTS

462 of the 471 participants from all grades who agreed to participate in the study completed the questionnaire with a response rate of 98.1%. It was seen that the students' clinical experience made differences in almost half of their motivational sources for choosing dentistry and their views on future opinions and expectations (p < .05). In addition to clinical experience, gender also made a statistically significant differences in almost all answers in the students' opinions about specialisation (p < .05).

CONCLUSION

From the results of the study, the majority of Turkish dental students were self-motivated compared to familial and environmental factors for choosing dentistry as a career. The career motivations of them seemed to be associated with the socioeconomic aspects of dentistry, whereas the perceptions regarding the future of dentistry seemed to be associated with the need for postgraduate education.

Characteristics and motivational factors for joining a lay responder system dispatch to out-of-hospital cardiac arrests

BACKGROUND

There has been in increase in the use of systems for organizing lay responders for suspected out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCAs) dispatch using smartphone-based technology. The purpose is to increase survival rates; however, such systems are dependent on people's commitment to becoming a lay responder. Knowledge about the characteristics of such volunteers and their motivational factors is lacking. Therefore, we explored characteristics and quantified the underlying motivational factors for joining a smartphone-based cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) lay responder system.

METHODS

In this descriptive cross-sectional study, 800 consecutively recruited lay responders in a smartphone-based mobile positioning first-responder system (SMS-lifesavers) were surveyed. Data on characteristics and motivational factors were collected, the latter through a modified version of the validated survey "Volunteer Motivation Inventory" (VMI). The statements in the VMI, ranked on a Likert scale (1-5), corresponded to(a) intrinsic (an inner belief of doing good for others) or (b) extrinsic (earning some kind of reward from the act) motivational factors.

RESULTS

A total of 461 participants were included in the final analysis. Among respondents, 59% were women, 48% between 25 and 39 years of age, 37% worked within health care, and 66% had undergone post-secondary school. The most common way (44%) to learn about the lay responder system was from a CPR instructor. A majority (77%) had undergone CPR training at their workplace. In terms of motivation, where higher scores reflect greater importance to the participant, intrinsic factors scored highest, represented by the category values (mean 3.97) followed by extrinsic categories reciprocity (mean 3.88) and self-esteem (mean 3.22).

CONCLUSION

This study indicates that motivation to join a first responder system mainly depends on intrinsic factors, i.e. an inner belief of doing good, but there are also extrinsic factors, such as earning some kind of reward from the act, to consider. Focusing information campaigns on intrinsic factors may be the most important factor for successful recruitment. When implementing a smartphone-based lay responder system, CPR instructors, as a main information source to potential lay responders, as well as the workplace, are crucial for successful recruitment.

Understanding the Impact of Generation Z on Risk Management-A Preliminary Views on Values, Competencies, and Ethics of the Generation Z in Public Administration

Gen Z, people born in the Internet age, are entering the labour market and soon will be responsible for public administration. Such a situation creates the need to study their professional motivations and competencies. We aim to determine: (1) What are the motivating factors of Gen Z representatives? (2) What is the factor's structure of competencies of Gen Z employees? (3) Do Gen Z's interest in public administration result from their needs to realise the public interest? These questions are fundamental for the strategy of hiring and training newcomers. This original paper's insights have emerged iteratively based on a systematic literature searching method and data obtained from the surveys (n = 335). Research of Polish representatives of Gen Z showed that their expectations are similar to those found in other countries. However, their responses suggest that ethical issues are not the most important for them. The presence of generation G on the labor market will generate a paradigm shift in the activity of companies and public institutions that will be the employers of these young people. Reconfiguration of the principles of human resource management is necessary so that organizations benefit from the qualities of generation Z-they gravitate towards gamified processes because of mobile-centricity; they are natives of global communication, self-learners, and self-motivators; they appreciate transparency.

Fostering Work Meaningfulness for Sustainable Human Resources: A Study of Generation Z

This study is drawn from the psychology of sustainability exploring meaningful job characteristics for Generation Z and their influence on employee retention. We hypothesised that intrinsic qualities of job characteristics foster experienced meaningfulness which, in turn, enhances employees’ intention to stay. An online survey targeted to Generation Z was adopted for the study. We received 746 usable responses for the analysis. Nested model comparisons with a structural equation approach and chi-square difference tests were used to assess the mediating role of work meaningfulness in the hypothesised relationships. The best-fit model to data was then used for hypotheses testing. We found that skill variety, autonomy and task significance engender experienced meaningfulness for Generation Z. Work meaningfulness was the mechanism underpinning the relationships between these job characteristics and intention to stay. Task feedback was not significant for either meaningfulness or intention to stay, whereas task identity affected only intention to stay but not meaningfulness. This research contributes to the literature on work meaningfulness and generations by examining the work behaviours of Generation Z. Because experienced meaningfulness can enhance Generation Z’s willingness to stay and support organisational sustainability, an organisation can retain its generational cohort by providing selective work design strategies to fit the generation’s characteristics.

Generation Z Within the Workforce and in the Workplace: A Bibliometric Analysis

This article aims to improve the knowledge on Generation Z as employees within workforce and in the workplace, as well as on the main thematic trends that drive the research on the topic. To this end, and using bibliometric techniques, a sample of 102 publications on this subject from Web of Science between 2009 and 2020 is analyzed. Research discusses the most published and most cited authors and journals to have a broad view of the context of the subject. Later, through a longitudinal view, the study mainly focuses on analyzing the evolution of thematic clusters, to assess the progress of the themes, as well as the network around the principal motor cluster of each period. The obtained results suggest a hardly developed topic, which started to draw attention in 2018, while still having a wide margin for growth. The core of research on the topic has evolved around “Generation-Z” “generations,” “workplace,” “management” and “attitudes,” “leadership,” “career,” or “learning-teaching-education,” although a low keyword stability among periods was noted. There is a need for further development on a variety of aspects regarding this generation and the labor market, as the study shows a clear orientation toward management and generational diversity within the workplace.

Potential of Community Volunteers in Flood Early Warning Dissemination: A Case Study of Bangladesh

Flood early warning (FEW) is a vital component of disaster risk management and is particularly important for saving lives, developing a sustainable agro-based economy, economic stability, and the overall development of the people of Bangladesh as well as others. This study was conducted in a northern, flood-prone area of Bangladesh to investigate the potential of incorporating volunteers of the community to the Union Councils (UCs) to disseminate FEW alongside the top-down approach. Several studies have found that despite having a sophisticated flood forecasting technology, local communities are not reaping the benefits of it, as the existing dissemination system is inaccessible to most local people. Since risk communication takes place in a social context, this study investigated and thereby proposed that volunteerism, as a form of social capital or communal virtue, can potentially assist the community-based disaster management (CBDM) institutions in enhancing their capacity to reach the maximum population at times of flood risk. Therefore, it was confirmed that the trained volunteers need to be integrated into and endorsed by the national policy. In addition, this study also provides a number of recommendations connecting literature with policy documents of Bangladesh.

Motivations of Sports Volunteers at the 2023 European Games in Poland

Volunteering is fundamental in the organization of sporting events of any rank, and there is no doubt that without volunteers, the realization of such events would not be possible. The purpose of this study was to investigate relationships between selected socio-demographic factors (gender, age, place of residence, professional activity, and—rarely researched—previous experience in sports volunteering) and the motivation of people who have signed up to be volunteers at the 2023 European Games in Poland. In total, 535 respondents completed the Olympic Volunteer Motivation Scale (OVMS) designed to assess the motivation of volunteers at multi-sport events in the Olympic tradition. A questionnaire survey was conducted among a group of students of the University of Physical Education in Krakow, who had signed up as volunteers via an online form. The respondents were required to provide data on their gender, age, place of residence, professional activities, and sports volunteering experience. The volunteers’ motivations did not differ with regard to gender, place of residence, and professional activity; however, significant differences were found with regard to sports volunteering experiences. The scores by respondents with previous experience in sports volunteering were the highest for the Olympic related, egoistic, and purposive scales of the OVMS. The research findings can be used by sports event organizers to improve the effectiveness of volunteer recruitment and management strategies. Understanding the factors that encourage potential candidates to volunteer may also facilitate collaboration with them during future events.

Mobility Patterns of Students: Evidence from Tricity Area, Poland

Generational change is one of the vital socioeconomic forces affecting the global economic environment. In many studies, the youngest generations are presented as the ones changing the market trends. This can also be observed in areas of travel demand and mobility patterns. However, research on those topics in many countries, for many societies, is scarce. This study aimed to examine the travel behavior of Polish young adults, namely students living in the Tricity area. Factor analysis and ANOVA were used to analyze the data gathered via an online survey assessing the characteristics of mobility patterns of students born between 1981 and 1999. Factor analysis allowed grouping the attitudes towards traveling among those young adults (Y Generation, Y’s, Y Gen). Three factors were identified, and they were associated with luxury and self-expression, freedom and comfort, safety and environmental friendliness. The driver’s characteristics were the least consistent with the classic image of typical Y’s, and those using the active commute—the most. In turn, the largest group were people using public transport, which partially presented convergent opinions with drivers and users of the active commute. It turned out that the car drivers, active commuters and respondents utilizing public transport differed not only in their behavior and presentation of Y Gen characteristics but also in their attitude towards categories such as comfort, desire for luxury, economy or ecology. This study is a complex analysis of the mobility patterns of students in the Tricity area. It presents the set of variables influencing the travel demand of the chosen age group. The study also compares the presented travel choices with those declared by representatives of other nations. Finally, it indicates the next research problems to be addressed in future research.

Religiosity and Generosity: Multi-Level Approaches to Studying the Religiousness of Prosocial Actions

This paper provides a meta-analysis of the intersection of (a) religiosity and spirituality with (b) generosity, philanthropy, nonprofits, and prosociality. The study is informed by three informational sources, chronologically: (1) informational interviews with scholars and practitioners based within and studying regions outside of the U.S. and Western Europe; (2) discovery search of purposefully selected extant publications, especially focusing on the last decade of contemporary scholarship; and (3) systematic search of relevant peer-reviewed publication outlets since 2010. Reviewed publications are categorized by level of analysis into macro, meso, and micro approaches. Across each level and source, publications are also geo-tagged for their geographic scope. Particular attention is paid to the under-studied world regions of Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. The results reveal that Asia is the most studied and Latin America the least studied, and that meso-level approaches are the most common while micro-level are the least common. Additionally, a map of publication counts reveals within-region inequalities by country. Implications of the analysis are drawn for future studies, particularly ways to advance this interdisciplinary field.

Volunteer responsibilities, motivations and challenges in implementation of the community-based health planning and services (CHPS) initiative in Ghana: qualitative evidence from two systems learning districts of the CHPS+ project

BACKGROUND

Community volunteerism is essential in the implementation of the Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) in Ghana. We explored the responsibilities, motivations and challenges of community health management committees (CHMCs) in two CHPS+ Project districts in Ghana.

METHODS

We used a qualitative approach to collect data through 4 focus group discussions among a purposive sample of community health volunteers in December 2018 and analysed them thematically.

RESULTS

Community health management committees (CHMCs) were found to provide support in running the CHPS programme through resource mobilisation, monitoring of logistics, assisting the Community Health Officers (CHO) in the planning of CHPS activities, and the resolution of conflicts between CHOs and community members. The value, understanding and protective functions were the key motivations for serving on CHMCs. Financial, logistical and telecommunication challenges, lack of recognition and cooperation from community members, lack of motivation and lack of regular skill development training programmes for CHMC members who serve as traditional birth attendants (TBAs) were major challenges in CHMC volunteerism.

CONCLUSION

Community health volunteerism needs to be prioritised by the Ghana Health Service and other health sector stakeholders to make it attractive for members to give off their best in the discharge of their responsibilities.

Sustainable and Religion Food Consumer Segmentation: Focusing on Korean Temple Food Restaurants

As demand for temple food has significantly grown, this study’s objective was to conduct a market segmentation analysis of temple food consumer motives in order to develop effective marketing strategies. The study identified six motives specific to Korean temple food consumption representing “health-oriented,” “ethical vegetarianism,” “meditative mindfulness,” “educational experience,” “taste,” and “environment protection.” Motives were then used to generate four distinct temple food groups named Highly Motivated, Vegetarian, Environment-Oriented and Minimally Motivated. This study provided useful information for the application of Korean temple food marketing strategies for destinations featuring this growing trend in culinary tourism.

Perceived Organizational Performance in Recruiting and Retaining Employees with Respect to Different Generational Groups of Employees and Sustainable Human Resource Management

Organizational performance is considered as the essence of an industrial enterprises’ existence. However, in terms of performance, it is important not only to achieve results, but also maintain and develop the potential of an enterprise. When assessing performance, industrial management often omits the organizational success in managing human resources and developing human resources potential. The main aim of this paper is to present the research results focused on perceived organizational performance in recruiting and retaining employees with respect to different generations of employees in industrial enterprises. For the purposes of the analysis, the authors of the paper have designed a valid and reliable collection tool (research questionnaire). The research sample consisted of N = 1471 respondents, employees of industrial enterprises in the Slovak Republic. The research result shows that different generations of employees perceive differently selected issues of organizational performance. Testing the first research hypothesis has proved that there is a significant difference between employees from different generational groups in the perception of relationships among employees. The testing of the second research hypothesis confirmed that there is a statistically significant relationship between selected issues of perceived organizational performance.

Motivations for Volunteerism, Satisfaction, and Emotional Exhaustion: The Moderating Effect of Volunteers’ Age

This investigation aims to explore the moderating role of volunteers’ age in the relation between motivations for volunteering and, respectively, satisfaction with volunteerism and emotional exhaustion. A longitudinal study was conducted with a sample of 241 Spanish healthcare volunteers. Results show that volunteers’ age moderates the relations between social motivations and satisfaction, and social motivations and volunteers’ emotional exhaustion, and also between growth motivations and satisfaction, and volunteers’ emotional exhaustion. The relationships between security motivations and satisfaction and emotional exhaustion are not moderated by age. Our findings underline that, for younger volunteers, satisfaction decreases when social motives are high, rather than low, and, in the opposite, emotional exhaustion increases when growth motives are high, rather than low. For older volunteers, instead, the only significant effect concern satisfaction, which is higher when social motives are high, rather than low.

Several Ways Generation Z May Shape the Medical School Landscape

Just as medical colleges have adapted to the Millennial generation of students, a new generation is poised to enter as matriculants. Learner attributes of this generation, Generation Z, are in stark contrast to previous ones, but more than that, they provide new challenges that undergraduate universities are already facing. This article aims to highlight some of these challenges, including those relating to student counseling services, volunteering activities, learning environments, and learner perspectives. These challenges are framed and discussed within the context of medical education.