Key terms & definitions

Assistance provided by charities and non-governmental organisations, often funded by public donations.

An organisation supported by voluntary donations to help people in need, rather than funded through compulsory taxation.

Joining the armed forces by choice rather than being legally required to serve.

Euthanasia carried out at the request of a person who can make and communicate that decision.

An organisation in which people freely give time or skills to help others or promote a cause.

Movement in which people choose to relocate, for example to seek work or join family.

A muscle under conscious control that works with the skeleton to produce movement; also called skeletal muscle.

An organisation outside government that works for social or community purposes rather than distributing profits to owners, such as a charity.

Organisations and groups whose work draws on voluntary participation and support, often to serve a community or social purpose.

A form of sampling bias arising because people who volunteer for research may differ from those who do not.

Choosing to join the armed forces rather than being legally required to serve.

Giving time and effort without payment to support an organisation, people or a community.

A computer design in which program instructions and data are stored in the same main memory and instructions are processed by the CPU.

A parliamentary vote on whether a government retains the support of Parliament; defeat can lead to resignation or a general election.

A lack of interest in or concern about voting and political participation.

Citizens’ interest in elections and involvement in activities such as learning about candidates, registering and voting.

The process of signing up to become eligible to vote.

The percentage of the registered electorate who vote in an election.

An object dedicated to a deity as a religious gift.

A promise made by each partner during a wedding ceremony.

A narrow valley with steep sides, formed as a river cuts downwards and weathering and mass movement reshape the valley sides.

How susceptible people and property are to harm from a hazard.

A weakness in software or a system that an attacker could exploit.

The Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps, established in 1917 to employ women in non-combat supporting roles for the army.

Soft padding placed between fabric layers, for example in a quilted textile.

Pay commonly calculated by multiplying the hours worked by an hourly rate.

Income received from paid work, usually calculated or paid hourly, daily, weekly or monthly.

Work done for wages. This does not include unpaid work such as looking after one’s own children or running one’s own household.

Paid work: workers sell their labour to an employer in return for wages.

The amount of money paid to a worker for their work.