Table 2 Background characteristics of members of the cohort (NVVE and NPV) and a sample of the Dutch population in 2005 (rounded percentages with 95% confidence intervals).

Gender

- Male

32 (30-34)

39 (37-40)

38 (34-42)

42 (38-47)

40 (38-43)

60 (55-65)

- Female

68 (66-70)

61 (60-63)

62 (58-66)

58 (53-62)

60 (57-62)

40 (35-45)

Age

(mean with 95% CI's)

55.7 yr.

(55.3-56.0)

76.1 yr.

(75.8-76.3)

46.4 yr. (45.4-47.4)

75.1 yr.

(74.6-75.6)

44.9 yr. (44.2-45.5)

73.3 yr.

(72.7-73.8)

Marital status

Partner

71 (69-73)

54 (52-56)

77 (74-81)

63 (59-66)

85 (83-87)

67 (62-73)

- Married

55 (53-57)

48 (46-49)

75 (72-78)

60 (57-65)

71 (68-73)

62 (57-68)

- Living together

10 (9-11)

3 (3-4)

0.7(0.3-1.6)

0.5 (0.2-1.4)

12 (10-14)

2 (1-5)

- Otherwise

7 (6-8)

3 (3-4)

1 (1-3)

1 (1-3)

3 (2-4)

3 (1-5)

Single

29 (27-31)

46 (44-48)

23 (19-26)

37 (34-42)

15 (13-17)

33 (27-38)

- Divorced

9 (8-11)

7 (6-8)

3 (2-4)

3 (2-4)

5 (4-7)

8 (5-11)

- Widowed

8 (7-9)

33 (32-34)

2 (1-4)

25 (21-29)

2 (2-3)

22 (17-27)

- Otherwise

12 (10-13)

6 (5-7)

17 (15-20)

10 (8-12)

7 (6-9)

3 (2-6)

Children

- Children, good relation

59 (57-61)

74 (73-76)

68 (65-71)

71 (67-75)

72 (70-75)

78 (73-83)

- Children, bad relation (with some or all)

6 (5-7)

11 (10-12)

4 (3-6)

14 (11-17)

5 (4-6)

12 (8-16)

- No children

35 (33-37)

15 (14-16)

28 (25-31)

15 (13-19)

23 (20-25)

10 (7-13)

Education

- Elementary or basic vocational

11 (10-12)

19 (17-20)

24 (21-27)

49 (45-53)

19 (17-22)

34 (29-40)

- Secondary

29 (27-31)

32 (30-33)

38 (35-42)

29 (25-33)

39 (37-42)

30 (25-35)

- Higher

60 (58-62)

50 (48-52)

37 (34-41)

22 (19-26)

41 (39-44)

36 (31-41)

Life stance

- No belief

69 (67-71)

60 (58-62)

1 (1-2)

1 (0-2)

47 (44-50)

24 (20-30)

- Roman Catholic

11 (10-13)

10 (9-11)

6 (4-8)

11 (8-13)

26 (24-29)

42 (36-48)

- Protestant

6 (5-7)

14 (12-15)

92 (90-94)

87 (84-90)

21 (19-24)

27 (22-33)

- Humanistic

8 (7-9)

11 (10-12)

0 (0-0.4)

0 (0-0.4)

2 (1-3)

4 (2-6)

- Other

6 (5-7)

5 (4-6)

1 (0-1)

1 (1-3)

3 (2-5)

3 (2-6)

Belief and its importance in someone's life

- Belief important

15 (14-17)

23 (21-24)

97 (96-98)

98 (96-99)

28 (25-31)

55 (49-60)

- Belief not important

or no belief

85 (83-86)

77 (76-79)

3 (2-4)

2 (1-4)

72 (69-75)

45 (40-51)

3 Characteristics from NEO-FFI

(mean scores with 95% CI's)*

- Neuroticism

28.7

(28.3-29.0)

28.9

(28.6-29.1)

30.1

(29.5-30.7)

30.0

(29.3-30.6)

29.0

(28,6-29.4)

29.1

(28.3-29.9)

- Altruism

45.2

(44.9-45.4)

44.5

(44.3-44.7)

46.3

(45.9-46.7)

45.9

(45.5-46.3)

44.9

(44.6-45.2)

43.9

(43.4-44.5)

- Conscientiousness

46.1

(45.8-46.3)

44.8

(44.6-44.9)

45.8

(45.4-46.3)

45.0

(44.5-45.5)

45.5

(45.3-45.8)

44.7

(44.1-45.3)

Experienced health

- (Very) good

80 (78-81)

74 (73-76)

86 (83-89)

77 (73-80)

89 (87-90)

79 (74-83)

- Less than good

20 (19-22)

26 (24-27)

14 (11-17)

23 (20-27)

11 (9-13)

21 (17-26)

Suffering from a disease

- Yes

49.5 (47-52)

68 (66-69)

39 (36-43)

65 (61-69)

33 (31-36)

61 (55-66)

- No

50.5 (48-53)

32 (31-34)

61 (57-65)

35 (31-39)

67 (64-69)

39 (34-45)

Resuscitation in case of cardiac arrest

when suffering from advanced stage cancer

- (Probably) yes

2 (1-3)

4 (3-4)

47 (43-51)

46 (42-51)

12 (10-14)

20 (16-25)

- (Probably) no

98 (97-99)

96 (96-97)

53 (49-57)

54 (49-58)

88 (86-90)

80 (75-84)