ARPHA Proceedings 6: 83-87, doi: 10.3897/ap.e126504
Young volunteers on Zooniverse: exploring the relationship between participation and background characteristic
expand article infoMaria Aristeidou‡, Christothea Herodotou‡, Heidi Ballard§, Lucy Robinson|, Grant Miller
‡ The Open University, Milton Keynes, United Kingdom§ UC Davis, California, United States of America| Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom¶ Zooniverse, Oxford, United Kingdom

Corresponding author: Maria Aristeidou ( maria.aristeidou@open.ac.uk )

© Maria Aristeidou, Christothea Herodotou, Heidi Ballard, Lucy Robinson, Grant Miller.
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Citation: Aristeidou M, Herodotou C, Ballard H, Robinson L, Miller G (2024) Young volunteers on Zooniverse: exploring the relationship between participation and background characteristic. ARPHA Proceedings 6: 83-87. https://doi.org/10.3897/ap.e126504
Open Access
Abstract
This study explores the participation patterns and demographic characteristics of young citizen scientists engaged in online citizen science through the Zooniverse platform. By analysing log data from 242 participants and survey responses from 64 individuals, the research sheds light on the contributions and behaviours of these young volunteers. Key findings highlight the significant engagement of young participants, each contributing to various projects and demonstrating consistent activity on the platform. Surprisingly, demographic factors like age and gender showed no significant association with participation levels. However, confidence in using the platform positively correlated with increased engagement, emphasising the role of self-efficacy in fostering participation. Additionally, systematic participation was linked to higher project contributions, underscoring the importance of structured engagement. The study highlights the need for targeted strategies to empower young individuals to contribute meaningfully to scientific research while promoting inclusivity and engagement across diverse demographics. 
Keywords
young volunteers, Zooniverse, participation