Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

We're looking at performing a social experiment on people who volunteer in distributing food to the homeless/low income to measure: (1) the number of people who volunteer because it makes them happy to help others vs (2) those who volunteer because they have to fulfill an obligation (school, court ordered, etc). We are looking at volunteering weekly with organizations in two different counties and tracking the data for a period of 10 months and then charting the results. Are we on the right track as far as our questions and tracking data? The belief is that more people volunteer because it makes them happy to serve others in need.

Thank you for your time.

Your question is a valid one and I would be interested in knowing the results. The only suggestion I would have is to be careful about limiting 'volunteer' status. Some people (not those required to perform community service) might not be able to work more than once a month or maybe every two weeks, but they still are making a contribution because they care about others.

Good luck,

Sybee

Terrific - Thank you for your feedback. We will use your advice!