Americans tend to value volunteering to help strangers more than providing care for family and friends, even though unpaid caregiving contributes billions of dollars’ worth of labor each year, according to research from Michigan State University. This attitude may lead people with lower incomes to feel they contribute less to society, as they often lack the time or resources to volunteer beyond their immediate communities.

The study points out that over 53 million Americans provide unpaid care for adults, a service valued at more than $450 billion annually. By comparison, the 8.8 billion hours spent volunteering are worth $195 billion. But how should we weigh these different forms of help?

Who we help

Using surveys and experiments, researchers found that people with lower incomes and less formal education tend to spend more time caring for family and friends, while wealthier individuals are more likely to volunteer outside their social circles. Despite this, people from lower-income groups reported feeling they contributed less to society than those who volunteered.

The study suggests that many Americans, regardless of income, believe helping strangers is a higher form of giving than caring for loved ones. In one experiment, participants judged a person who volunteered to tutor a stranger as making a greater contribution to society than someone tutoring a family member, even though both tasks were the same. The volunteer was seen as more altruistic because they had more choice in helping.

As the U.S. population ages, the demand for unpaid caregiving will only grow. The researchers argue that society needs to recognize caregiving—especially when done for family members—as a meaningful contribution. By valuing unpaid care, we can better support those who provide this essential service.