Longitudinal Study of Australian Volunteers (LSAV)

About the study

The study has been tracking a cohort of fifty-five Australian volunteers who undertook international assignments in 2019-20. It continues to collect data on their lives now, looking at whether (and in what ways) their volunteering experiences influence their careers, educational decisions, civic participation, interests, attitudes, and relationships in the years following their assignments. 

Five waves of data have been collected so far: prior to participants commencing their volunteer assignments (2019), at the end of their volunteer assignments in 2020, and at intervals of one year (2021), three years (2023) and five years (2025) after their assignments. The study is continuing to explore the residual impacts of their volunteer assignments in the years since their assignment ended.

The study is being undertaken by a global research team led by University of Technology Sydney. Each phase has been approved by the University’s Human Research Ethics Committee - approval numbers ETH 19-3663 (Phase One), ETH 19-4445 (Phase Two) and ETH 23-7954 (Phase Three). All aspects comply with the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research and the UTS Research Ethics and Integrity Policy.

About the participants

The study's participants are everyday Australians who made the decision to commit a period of their working life to volunteer abroad. 

The participants are diverse. They come from both rural and urban areas in every State and Territory of Australia. Their cultural backgrounds include Scottish, Chinese, French, Australian Aboriginal, Māori, Indian, Irish, Malaysian, German, Italian, Welsh and English. More than half are women.

Ranging in age from 25 to 77 years when their assignments started, the participants have over 700 years of combined professional experience in fields such as science, health, education, agriculture, management, law, architecture, tourism, information technology, engineering and finance. 

The participants' volunteer assignments were in 16 countries in the Asia-Pacific region, including Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Mongolia, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, Sri Lanka and Timor Leste.  

Research reports (2019-2024)

The main findings and recommendations arising from the first two phases of the study (2019-2022) were presented to the program in April 2022. A copy of the full report and a summarised version can be downloaded as pdf files from the links at the bottom of this page. Please use the following citation:

• Fee, A., Devereux, P., Everingham, P., Allum, C. & Perold, H. (2022). Longitudinal Study of Australian Volunteers (2019-21): Final Report, Prepared for the Australian Volunteers Program.

An earlier report, published in October 2019, is available from the website of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). 

A report prepared in July 2024 summarises interim results from the first two years of phase three (2021-2023). This can also be downloaded as a pdf file from the link at the bottom of this page.

The study's final report will be available in 2026.

For more details about the study or any aspect of the study's findings, please contact the Chief Investigator.

About the Australian Volunteers Program

The Australian Volunteers Program aims to achieve the following outcomes:

• Partner organisations are supported by Australia to achieve their own development objectives;
• The public in Australia better appreciates the value of international volunteering; and
• Australian volunteers gain professionally and personally.

By successfully achieving these outcomes, the Australian Volunteers Program will have contributed to Australia’s broader development and diplomacy goals:

• The Australian Government is achieving its development objectives;
• Australian aid is perceived positively in Australia and internationally; and
• Australians are becoming more globally literate and connected.

More details

Chief Investigator: Dr Anthony Fee 
University of Technology
e: anthony.fee@uts.edu.au 
p: +61 2 9514 3395