Desk Research

Introduction
It has been observed that there has been a decline in the public’s organizational engagement
and the activity number is falling, with VLAMO being one such organization that is actively
trying to battle the circumstance and its effects. As it is widely known, Covid 19 initially had
a big impact on the activity and working of various sectors. This paper aims to study and
highlight the reasons beyond Covid 19 that have led to the current situation and analyse
various sectors and industries to further direct us to the root problem and solution during
extensive research. These will be done through initially qualitative research in which the
characteristics and nature of the problem/solution will be analyzed and finally quantitative
research; in which numbers, facts and data will be the focus. 

Movie Theatres
In the United States of America, during the year 2021, the highest record of no engagement
was recorded with 61% of the public has not attended any cinema theatre throughout the year.
This figure further explains why the average number of movies i.e., 1.4, watched by an
American citizen at a cinema theatre is very low. Only 9% of the American population
attended cinema theatres 5 or more, while 31% averaged around 1-4 movies during the year
(Brenan, 2022). 
A study conducted by Gallup observed the movie-watching habits of American Citizens
during two periods and collected the following information. The first observation was done
between the years 2001 to 2007 and the second study is based on the year 2021. The results
indicate that there has been an overall decline in the number of people who attend cinema
theatres to watch movies during both periods. While in the former, only 32% of the American
population did not watch movies at theatres, the figure doubled in the latter period with 61%
of the general population has not attended any movie theatre during the year (Gallup,2021). 

Furthermore, it was observed that among the movie geeks and cinema lovers, the rate of
attendance was very low. The figure declined by approximately half in 2021, in comparison
to the figure in 2007. With Covid 19 being a big contributing factor in the slowing down and
decline of activity in various sectors and the cinema theatres, the depression in this sector
remains even though the mass population in The United States of America, now have been
vaccinated and has access to theatres and cinemas without any Covid related limitations. This
suggests that there are other reasons beyond Covid, such as the emerging lifestyle trends,
changes in habits, and new social norms that are being adopted by the general society that is
indirectly/directly contributing to the figure remaining low. 
Now, moving on to the contributing factors, urbanicity and age have depicted big differences
in attendance figures. Overall, among all subgroups demographically, there has been a
decline in attendance in cinema theatres. The number of movies watched remains low within
the age groups of 50-64 and those aged 65 and above, with the figures standing at 0.5 and 0.8
times respectively. While among the age group of 30-49 people averaged 1.4 movies, the
figure was approximately double for those aged under 30, i.e. 3.2 movies. The ratio of movies
seen by American citizens residing in suburban regions and cities to those residing in rural
city areas was 1.7 to 0.8 movies (Gallup, 2021). 
Dropping Volunteering numbers in Australia
During the last five years, Australia has experienced a -19% reduction in volunteering rate
among the younger generation, particularly those aged between 15-24. This was aggravated
by Covid 19 and the pandemic era, as most community activities and large events were
whittled down. However, this is only a small fragment of the whole picture, as the reasons
stretch beyond that (Parke, 2022).
This downward slide in volunteering has harmed regional associations such as most football
clubs, emergency services, and a plethora of other organizations and events, for example, the
Dragon Boat Regatta, making it an important issue to monitor and reassess.

One major reason is that young people nowadays desire flexibility and workability, which
oppose normally the traditional and formal way of offering volunteer help. According to
researcher Hugh Mackay, another issue that has surfaced, particularly amongst the young
generation, is the emergence of individualistic beliefs and a focus on the self rather than the
betterment and well-being of the community as a whole. Everyone is concerned with the ME
rather than the WE, which leads to an entitlement to one's beliefs and perceived self-image
which matches their identity.
Add to that, one of the effects of the past corona pandemic is that everyone became
accustomed to staying alone at home, avoiding any type of outside contact. As a
consequence, most shun away from society, also comes the problem of active effort to always
stay alert and observe your surroundings, resulting in many self-centred behaviours in which
everyone chose to prioritize themselves over others. 
Another point worth mentioning is the deterioration of the economic condition. People had a
really hard time coping with this abrupt change that influenced the rest of their lives in many
ways. The majority had a very difficult time trying to deal with it. People were too concerned
about their financial stability during these challenging times; their primary worry was how to
recover and bounce back to make up for unpaid overtime work during the epidemic. Thus no
one was willing to commit to the extra time of free volunteering work.
In this case, social media is also a driving force. People in these current times rather use their
phones to connect with others virtually. In actuality, they are too preoccupied with online
platforms to the point where they have forgotten about the real interactive world (Parke,
2022).

Although That doesn't mean that young people are the ones to point fingers at, they will be
more than happy to help out or join up. It's also the organizations' fault for failing to notice
such sociological and cultural trends and changes and to try to satisfy their unfulfilled needs.
The difficulty that associations face is not only to attract and recruit new people but to how to
keep current members and maintain their passion and enthusiasm. For example, the latest
marketing announcement for the Sea Rescue team volunteer team drew just 20 members
since most people dropped out when they realized how much labor and commitment were
required (Parke, 2022).
 Conclusion
A study by the Quorom highlights that the cinema industry was already facing challenging
circumstances even before the emergence of Covid 19, during which the use of streaming
services was peaking and attendance was on a decline. The study reads “The research clearly
shows that theatres are suffering because the pandemic intensified, accelerated, amplified all
of the nascent trends that were already underway,” Ms. Ong said. “That is the definition of a
perfect storm — not that various problems exist at the same time, but that they have an
intensifying effect on each other.”(The New York Times, 2021). 
Throughout the paper, we’ve seen that based on the facts and numbers, there has been an
overall downward evolution in the cinema theatre activity throughout the years from the year
2001 to 2021. Even though Covid 19 amplified the circumstance, it also revealed a lot of
other pre-existing root causes and in reality, just used these as a stepping stone towards
crashing. Even after economies started recovering from the effects of Covid, studies revealed
that the cinema industry is still struggling due to independent reasons such as a change in
trends, demographic changes, and the world moving rapidly with the introduction of new
initiatives. 
The ongoing desk research on the volunteer situation in Australia is under serious scrutiny.
Several factors interact to contribute to the decline in participation and volunteer numbers
over the last 5 years. "I think this rise of individualism marks a really weird, aberrant period
in human history, and it's not actually who we are," says Dr. Mackay.
He goes on to explain, "I believe our true nature as communitarians, co-operators, kind and
compassionate people who look out for one another will re-emerge."
Most socioeconomic and cultural developments, such as individuals being too engaged in
social media, entitlement, and the previous Corona economic crisis, contribute to this rising
problem. Nevertheless, volunteering is not a service that Australians are required to perform,
but it is a way to demonstrate your care and love for the community, and it is the way forward
to strengthen our relationships with others.

Finally circling back to our main Focus, VLAMO, and its current challenges, the following
questions arise :

1) What is the gap that is yet to be bridged between what VLAMO already provides and
what the youth and adults truly want?
· What are the needs, preferences, and motivating incentives that could potentially
interest the target group?
· What initiatives have VLAMO taken to adapt to these? Are these in line and within
the framework of these incentives?
· What are the concurrent trends that can explain the shift in the habits of the target
group, and how can VLAMO incorporate these into feasible action plans?

Bibliography
Brenan, B. M. (2022, June 23). Movie Theater Attendance Far Below Historical Norms.
Gallup.com. Retrieved September 30, 2022, from
https://news.gallup.com/poll/388538/movie-theater-attendance-far-below-historical-
norms.aspx
nytimes.com. (2021, November 29). Retrieved September 30, 2022, from
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/29/business/movie-theater-attendance.html
Parke, E. (2022, August 14). Community events were canceled, emergency services stretched
as volunteer numbers fall. ABC News. Retrieved September 30, 2022, from
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-08-14/decline-in-volunteering-see-events-cancelled-ses-
stretched/101297094