Seventy per cent of students plan to volunteer this summer, new research suggests.
The survey, published by the volunteering charity Royal Voluntary Service, showed that almost half (47 per cent) said volunteering over the summer would give them useful and valuable experience.
The research, conducted earlier this month by the polling company Censuswide with 1,000 students aged between 18 and 24, found that a third of respondents said volunteering would give them a sense of purpose.
The survey found that of those planning to volunteer, 95 per cent said they were open to volunteering at NHS coronavirus vaccination sites over the next few weeks.
Shavaiz Mir, a chemical engineering student at Imperial College London, said: “Virtual lectures have meant that students like myself have more time on our hands and I wanted to use this time for good.
“I have so far completed four stewarding shifts at London vaccination sites and have loved each one. It’s super sociable and I have made great friends in the process.”
The NHS Volunteer Responders programme, delivered by the RVS and GoodSAM on behalf of NHS England, is calling for students to volunteer at vaccination sites in their local area.
Almost 10,000 steward volunteers aged between 18 and 25 have signed up to the programme since January to help move patients safely through vaccination sites.