Analysis and explanation of voluntary activities in Iran as a manifestation of social health

In measuring social health at the micro level, more attention is paid to how a person communicates in the social relations network. According to experts such as Keyes, there is a positive and close relationship between social health and pro-social behaviors and responsibility in society. Accordingly, the purpose of this study is to analyze voluntary behaviors in Iran as a manifestation of social health and well-being of citizens and to explain the motivational structure underlying these behaviors. For this purpose, two types of activities involved “pro-social” and "community involvement" are analyzed and the effect of religiosity and values such as “Self-enhancement ", "self- transcendence", “openness to change" and "generalized social trust" on these behaviors are tested.

The research method is the secondary analysis of data from the fifth wave of Global Values Survey with a sample size of 2667 people.

Findings show that in Iran, membership in pro-social altruistic activities is more than community involvement activities. Religiosity has a significant effect on community involvement activities, and by eliminating this variable, the values of "self- transcendence" explain a small percentage of membership in this group of activities. But the value type of "openness to change" has the greatest impact on both types of activities, especially community involvement activities.

Although the rate of membership in volunteer activities is low in Iran, but these few volunteers consciously turn to these activities with the aim of creating a positive change in society, which is an important step in improving the social health of citizens.