General ranking of research topics
| Rank | Research topics | Macroarea | Total sample (n=75) | Northern Europe (n=20) | Central Europe (n=31) | Southern Europe (n=24) | Significance | |||||||
| n | Mean (SD) | 0* (%) | 1–2† (%) | 3–5‡ (%) | n | Mean (SD) | n | Mean (SD) | n | Mean (SD) | ||||
| 1 | Older workers | 1 | 73 | 3.90 (0.82) | 0.0 | 4.1 | 95.9 | 20 | 3.80 (0.77) | 30 | 3.83 (0.87) | 23 | 4.09 (0.79) | ns |
| 2 | Nanomaterials | 3 | 63 | 3.89 (0.95) | 0.0 | 11.1 | 88.9 | 15 | 3.53 (1.30) | 26 | 3.69 (0.84) | 22 | 4.36 (0.58) | 0.015; SE>CE |
| 3 | Emerging technological devices | 3 | 71 | 3.87 (0.96) | 0.0 | 7.0 | 93.0 | 17 | 3.71 (0.85) | 31 | 4.03 (0.88) | 23 | 3.78 (1.13) | ns |
| 4 | Chemical agents | 4 | 64 | 3.83 (0.94) | 0.0 | 10.9 | 89.1 | 17 | 3.59 (1.12) | 26 | 3.96 (0.77) | 21 | 3.86 (0.96) | ns |
| 5 | Working conditions, work organisation and job content | 2 | 72 | 3.81 (1.03) | 0.0 | 12.5 | 87.5 | 18 | 3.61 (1.15) | 31 | 3.94 (1.00) | 23 | 3.78 (1.00) | ns |
| 6 | Disabled and chronically sick workers (work disability prevention and return-to-work research) | 1 | 73 | 3.66 (0.96) | 0.0 | 11.0 | 89.0 | 20 | 3.50 (0.83) | 30 | 3.67 (0.99) | 23 | 3.78 (1.04) | ns |
| 7 | Changing employment patterns and practices | 2 | 69 | 3.65 (1.04) | 0.0 | 14.5 | 85.5 | 19 | 3.32 (1.11) | 30 | 3.77 (0.94) | 20 | 3.80 (1.11) | ns |
| 8 | Information and communication technology | 3 | 69 | 3.58 (1.13) | 1.4 | 14.5 | 84.1 | 17 | 3.12 (1.36) | 29 | 3.90 (1.05) | 23 | 3.52 (0.95) | ns |
| 8 | Biological agents | 4 | 64 | 3.58 (0.97) | 0.0 | 15.6 | 84.4 | 17 | 3.29 (1.21) | 26 | 3.62 (0.98) | 21 | 3.76 (0.70) | ns |
| 10 | Health inequalities and work – vulnerable workers | 1 | 71 | 3.48 (1.04) | 0.0 | 16.9 | 83.1 | 20 | 3.55 (0.95) | 29 | 3.31 (1.14) | 22 | 3.64 (1.00) | ns |
| 11 | Migrant workers | 1 | 71 | 3.45 (1.27) | 2.8 | 16.9 | 80.3 | 18 | 3.89 (0.90) | 30 | 3.03 (1.50) | 23 | 3.65 (1.07) | ns |
| 12 | Green jobs | 3 | 70 | 3.44 (0.97) | 0.0 | 12.9 | 87.1 | 18 | 3.33 (1.09) | 30 | 3.37 (1.10) | 22 | 3.64 (0.66) | ns |
| 13 | Enterprises’ reorganisation processes (restructuring, mergers and acquisitions, downsizing, closure, outsourcing, delocalisation and reshoring) | 2 | 66 | 3.15 (1.23) | 1.5 | 25.8 | 72.7 | 17 | 2.82 (1.19) | 29 | 3.21 (1.26) | 20 | 3.35 (1.23) | ns |
| 14 | Women at work and gender aspects | 1 | 71 | 3.14 (1.28) | 4.2 | 23.9 | 71.9 | 19 | 2.74 (1.45) | 29 | 2.93 (1.39) | 23 | 3.74 (0.69) | 0.023; SE>NE; SE>CE |
| 15 | OSH consequences of markets integration based on the reduction of barriers to free movement of goods | 2 | 62 | 2.85 (1.14) | 3.2 | 29.1 | 67.7 | 14 | 2.43 (1.34) | 27 | 2.81 (1.08) | 21 | 3.19 (1.03) | ns |
| 16 | Electromagnetic fields | 3 | 61 | 2.59 (1.26) | 6.5 | 41.0 | 52.5 | 17 | 1.82 (1.24) | 26 | 2.92 (1.20) | 18 | 2.83 (1.10) | 0.013; NE<CE; NE<SE |
Descriptive statistics in total sample and by geographical distribution.
*0, not at all important.
†1–2, little and slightly important.
‡3–5, moderately to extremely important.
CE, Central Europe; NE, Northern Europe.