Timebanking promotes equitable volunteering in older adults without crowding-out effects: evidence from a quasi-experimental study in Hong Kong.

ABSTRACT:

Background and objectives

Timebanking has the potential as a social equalizer to promote volunteering for healthy aging. As a community-based system, it allows participants to exchange services or goods using time as currency-where 1 hr of service equals 1 time credit. However, there is limited understanding of whether timebanking might crowd out other volunteering participation elsewhere, and whether it perpetuates or alleviates social inequality of access to volunteering.

Research design and methods

This article presents findings from a quasi-experimental study on a timebanking program for adults aged 50 and above in Hong Kong, conducted between January 2021 and August 2022. The study involved 116 participants in the timebanking group and 114 in a comparison group. Both gr

SUBMITTER: Lu S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12578508 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature