Unemployment and Membership

Do the unemployed tend to drop membership in associations or do they unemployed join or remain in associations in order to tap into a network to help in landing a job? I have wondered about this and recently came across some research that speaks to this issue.

According to a 2005 study done in Belgium, it appears that the unemployed are far less likely to be members of an association. The study concludes:

“The employment status appears to have an impact on the membership of an association. . . Again the unemployed are significantly less engaged in an association than the reference [employed] group, up to 50 years.”

By the way, the study finds that the unemployed under age 50 also have a lower satisfaction with life and report more mental health problems than the employed.

The statistics for those over age 50 generally show a lower level of membership, life satisfaction, and mental health for the unemployed, but not nearly as significant as those under age 50.

Sociability, Life Satisfaction, and Mental Health According to Age and (Un)Employment Status
N. Burnaya,T, P. Kissb, J. Malchairea\
International Congress Series 1280 (2005) 347– 352