Table 2.
Characteristics of the study population
| All respondents | UK | The Netherlands | Italy | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (N = 13,623) | (N = 5270) | (N = 4183) | (N = 4170) | |
| N (%) | N (%) | N (%) | N (%) | |
| Agea (years) | 45 [33–57] | 44 [32–57] | 46 [33–58] | 45 [34–57] |
| Gender (male) | 6736 (49.4%) | 2597 (49.3%) | 2069 (49.5%) | 2070 (49.6%) |
| Educationb | ||||
| Low | 3797 (27.9%) | 1205 (22.9%) | 1232 (29.5%) | 1360 (32.6%) |
| Middle | 6499 (47.7%) | 2265 (43.0%) | 1901 (45.4%) | 2333 (55.9%) |
| High | 3327 (24.4%) | 1800 (34.2%) | 1050 (25.1%) | 477 (11.4%) |
| Work statusc | ||||
| Employed | 6981 (51.2%) | 2759 (52.4%) | 2214 (52.9%) | 2008 (48.2%) |
| Unemployed | 1915 (14.1%) | 475 (9.0%) | 447 (10.7%) | 993 (23.8%) |
| Looking after othersd | 699 (5.1%) | 358 (6.8%) | 177 (4.2%) | 164 (3.9%) |
| Student | 849 (6.2%) | 294 (5.6%) | 270 (6.5%) | 285 (6.8%) |
| Retired | 2068 (15.2%) | 855 (16.2%) | 545 (13.0%) | 668 (16.0%) |
| Unable to work | 1111 (8.2%) | 529 (10.0%) | 530 (12.7%) | 52 (1.2%) |
| Annual household incomee | ||||
| Low | 3131 (23.0%) | 1126 (21.4%) | 759 (18.1%) | 1247 (29.9%) |
| Middle | 3315 (24.3%) | 1604 (30.4%) | 728 (17.4%) | 983 (23.6%) |
| High | 5076 (37.3%) | 1994 (37.8%) | 1787 (42.7%) | 1295 (31.1%) |
| Do not know/do not want to tell | 2100 (15.4%) | 546 (10.4%) | 909 (21.7%) | 645 (15.5%) |
| Experience of serious illness | ||||
| In you yourself (yes) | 3517 (25.8%) | 1834 (34.8%) | 1068 (25.5%) | 615 (14.7%) |
| In your immediate family (yes) | 7066 (51.9%) | 3231 (61.3%) | 2864 (68.5%) | 971 (23.3%) |
| In caring for others (yes) | 3224 (23.7%) | 1689 (32.0%) | 924 (22.1%) | 611 (14.7%) |
| Chronic health complaints (yes)f | 6896 (50.6%) | 2778 (52.7%) | 2223 (53.1%) | 1895 (45.4%) |
aData are displayed as median, with the first and third quartile given within brackets
bEducation was divided up in low (junior school), middle (comprehensive school) and high (college and university)
cWork status was categorized as employed (employee and self-employed), unemployed (consisting out of work for more than and less than 1 year), looking after others (e.g. a carer or parent), a student, retired and unable to work
dE.g. carer or parent
eIncome was grouped as follows low (UK; less than £14,000, Italy and the Netherlands; less than €20,000), middle (UK; £14,000-£27,999, Italy and the Netherlands; €20,000-€39,999) and high (UK; more than £27,999, Italy and the Netherlands; more than €39,999)
fChronic health complaints were defined as asthma, chronic bronchitis, severe heart disease, consequences of a stroke, diabetes, severe back complaints, arthrosis, rheumatism, cancer, memory problems due to neurological disease/dementia, memory problems due to ageing, depression or anxiety disorder, and other chronic health complaints