Factors Influencing Commitment of Volunteers’ in Neighborhood Watch Organization

Problem statement: Social ties become less cohesive as society becomes urbanized. The need for social institutions to redress this state of affairs is crucial. There are two objectives of this research: (i) to examine the commitment level of volunteer residents participation in neighborhood watch organization and (ii) to identify attitudinal and motivational factors that influence their level of commitment. Approach: The study was carried out on a neighborhood watch organization called Rukun Tetangga (RT) Taman Sri Jelok, a suburban neighborhood in Kajang, located in the central part of Peninsular Malaysia. Data is collected via questionnaire administered through a census survey of 200 volunteer residents from the neighborhood watch organization. Data is analyzed using descriptive statistics and correlation techniques. Results: The research reveals high commitment level shown by volunteer residents in carrying out community activities, especially in undertaking mutual cooperation activities such as gotong royong. The attitudinal and motivational factors were found to contribute greatly towards the volunteers’ commitment in RT activities. Political interest does not influence volunteers’ commitment. Conclusion/Recommendation: The members’ commitment in RT activities increases when they perceive that the instrumental values of RT are positive, find the activities in RT attractive, adopt a positive attitude towards RT activities and poses internal altruistic motivation. Research indicates there is a need to create neighborhood watch activities that are beneficial and attractive to ensure commitment from volunteers. Future studies can examine other organizational aspects of neighborhood watch such as administration, management, infrastructure and linkages with other related organization.