The Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ) is one of the most widely used instruments worldwide for assessing psychological stress in the workplace. It was developed at the National Research Centre for the Working Environment (NFA) in Copenhagen.
Versions and Structure
COPSOQ exists in three versions:
- Short version: Approx. 40 questions, ideal for screening
- Medium version: Approx. 87 questions, standard for risk assessment
- Long version: Over 140 questions, for scientific studies
Dimensions Measured
The questionnaire covers:
- Demands (quantitative, emotional, cognitive)
- Influence and development opportunities
- Social relations and leadership
- Job insecurity
- Work-life conflict
- Health and well-being
Advantages of COPSOQ
- Scientifically validated and internationally recognized
- Free of charge (Open Source)
- Benchmarking with reference data possible
- Available in over 25 languages
COPSOQ Providers and Platforms in Germany
Several options exist for using COPSOQ in Germany:
- Freiburg Research Centre for Occupational Sciences (FFAW) — official German COPSOQ team led by Dr. Hans-Joachim Lincke, providing the scientific standard version. Ideal for research studies.
- Statutory accident insurance (e.g. BGW) — provides PDF versions for member companies. Evaluation must be done internally or via external service providers.
- SafeMind — integrates COPSOQ III into a complete psychological risk assessment software with anonymous online survey in 15 languages, automated analysis, industry benchmarks and audit-ready PDF documentation. From €699 once, no subscription.
- DearEmployee, pgb-kompakt, secova sam — additional commercial platforms with partly own, partly COPSOQ-derived questionnaires.
When does COPSOQ software make more sense than the PDF?
The free PDF version of COPSOQ requires manual data collection, statistical analysis and documentation — typically 40–80 hours of effort for 50 employees. Specialised software like SafeMind reduces this to a few clicks and produces audit-ready documentation automatically.
COPSOQ in Practice with SafeMind
SafeMind integrates COPSOQ-based questions into its psychological risk assessment software. Automated analysis provides immediately interpretable results with action recommendations.