Influences of Social Norms towards Environmental Volunteering Participation among Youth
Norshariani Abd Rahman

Abstract
Volunteer dropout is a major issue for environmental volunteering organizations. Findings from previous studies have shown that social norms may be regarded as an external force that influences environmental volunteering. Therefore, this research explored the influences of social norms on Malay Muslim youths’ participation in environmental volunteering activities. This study began with semi-structured interviews which were then followed by a survey. The interviews were conducted with 10 participants who were environmental volunteers. Data from the interview responses were analysed according to themes through the deductive – inductive – deductive approach. Based on the interview findings, a questionnaire was developed and distributed to 267 Malay Muslim environmental volunteers. The results revealed that the community’s culture, support from school, university or employer, and social support influenced the Malay Muslim youths’ participation in environmental volunteering activities. Therefore, the role of social norms should be considered in sustaining environmental volunteering participation among Malay Muslim youths.

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