Commissioned by the Home Office to help support the work of the Russell Commission, the findings indicate that volunteering needs to be made more attractive if it is to have wider appeal for younger generations.

Although many young people see it as an opportunity to gain useful skills and experience and to put something back into society, a minority believed that it was “not cool”. The study also found that factors such as time, cost and a lack of knowledge as to where to find relevant opportunities acted as barriers against volunteering.

Dr Justin Davis Smith, director of the Institute for Volunteering Research said: “There is a need to reclaim the concept of volunteering for young people. This reclamation should be peer-led, using young volunteers to show other young people the diversity of volunteering, its relevance to their lives and the benefits it brings to others. Organisations should also be encouraged to provide meaningful opportunities that are tailored to meet the needs of young people.”