THE SOCIAL IDENTITY OF VOLUNTEERING AND VOLUNTARY GROUPS

We are interested in applying the Social Identity Approach to understand the lived experiences of volunteers, and how volunteering might be encouraged and fostered.

FOODBANK VOLUNTEERING

We have explored volunteering in the complex and stigmatised context of foodbanks

Paper in the European Journal of Social Psychology: "‘Sometimes, it's not just about the food': The social identity dynamics of foodbank helping transactions"

COMMUNITY VOLUNTEERING

We have investigated how volunteering enhances people's relationships with their community and other important identities, and benefits their wellbeing through increased connection.

Paper in the European Journal of Social Psychology: "A social cure in the community: A mixed-method exploration of the role of social identity in the experiences and well-being of community volunteers"

Paper in the British Journal of Social Psychology: "Thy will be done: Exploring the longitudinal rewards of religious group membership enactment during volunteering"

HELPING DURING COVID-19

We have explored helping and prosocial behaviour processes during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Paper in the Journal of Community and Applied Social Psychology: "The mental health benefits of community helping during crisis: Coordinated helping, community identification and sense of unity during the COVID-19 pandemic"

Pre-print paper: "Who helps and why? A longitudinal exploration of volunteer role identity, intergroup closeness, and community identification as predictors of coordinated helping during the COVID-19 pandemic"

Paper in the British Journal of Social Psychology: "Collectively coping with coronavirus: Local community identification predicts giving support and lockdown adherence during the COVID-19 pandemic"

Paper in the Journal of Community and Applied Social Psychology: "Doing it for us: Community identification predicts willingness to receive a COVID-19 vaccination via perceived sense of duty to the community"

The Social Identity of Volunteering : Research