Prior research shows vast educational differences in volunteering: more than half of the higher educated volunteer compared with only one third of the lower educated. However, these educational differences are not similar across countries. Our crucial question is “Which individual and contextual characteristics explain educational differences in volunteering?” We answer this question using secondary data collected in 17 countries. Multilevel analyses show that particularly a lower level of cognitive competence as well as a localistic orientation of the lower educated explains their lower likelihood of volunteering. Cross-level interactions between education and compositional indicators of the group of lower educated people within countries show that a stronger negative social and cognitive selection increases the educational differences in volunteering. In those situations, the group as a whole lacks the social resources within their networks that increase the likelihood to volunteer and is perceived to be less competent to perform voluntary work.
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