Conspiracy vs Populism

Anonymous version for reviewers: This dataset and accompanying materials represent data collected from a public opinion survey conducted in Italy in July 2024. The survey was administered through online interviews using the Computer-Assisted Web Interview (CAWI) method. The sample includes 1,558 adult residents of Italy, distributed across various demographics including region, gender, age, and political affiliation, with data weighted according to the latest ISTAT parameters.The survey covers various topics, including political behaviour, conspiracy beliefs, populism, trust in public institutions, social dominance orientation, right-wing authoritarianism, and personal satisfaction. Respondents were asked about their voting choices in the 2024 European elections, their views on conspiracy theories, their trust in Italian political and health institutions, and their social and political attitudes.Technical info (English)CodebookThe survey was conducted through online interviews using the CAWI (Computer Assisted Web Interview) method within a sample of 1,558 adults residing in Italy, distributed by area of residence, gender, age, and the party voted for in the 2024 European elections.The interviews were administered between 10 and 19 July 2024.The methods used to identify the final units were random, similar to probabilistic samples. All parameters are aligned with the most recent data provided by ISTAT. The data were weighted to ensure representativeness concerning area of residence, age, gender, and the party voted for in the 2024 European elections. The statistical margin of error for the reported data is 2.5% with a 95% confidence interval.Variable nameVariable descriptionVariable typeValues and codingIDInterviewee IDNumeric Q006Interviewee dateStringDate (format: DD/MM/YYYY)Q008GenderNumeric1 = Male, 2 = Female, 3 = Non-binary/OtherQ009Date of birthStringDate (format: DD/MM/YYYY)Q010AgeNumericAge of the interviewee in yearsQ011Year of birthNumericYear of birthQ012Age groupNumeric1 = 18-24 years, 2 = 25-34 years, 3 = 35-44 years, 4 = 45-54 years, 5 = 55-64 years, 6 = Over 64 yearsQ013Municipality of residenceNumericISTAT code of the municipality of residenceQ014Region of residenceNumeric1 = Piedmont 2 = Aosta Valley 3 = Lombardy 4 = Trentino-Alto Adige 5 = Veneto 6 = Friuli Venezia Giulia 7 = Liguria 8 = Emilia Romagna 9 = Tuscany 10 = Umbria 11 = Marche 12 = Lazio 13 = Abruzzo 14 = Molise 15 = Campania 16 = Apulia 17 = Basilicata 18 = Calabria 19 = Sicily 20 = Sardinia, 21=AbroadQ015Province of residenceNumericNumerical code of the province of residenceQ016Geographic area (5 macro-areas)Numeric1 = North-West 2 = North-East 3 = Centre 4 = South 5 = IslandsQ017Gender indicator or other (robots/non-binary)String1 = Male 2 = FemaleQ018Gender (ZES)Numeric1 = Male 2 = FemaleQ019Education levelNumeric1 = Elementary/no qualification 2 = Lower secondary 3 = Upper secondary in progress 4 = Professional diploma 5 = High school diploma 6 = University in progress 7 = Short university degree 8 = Bachelor’s degree 9 = Master’s degree 10 =postgraduate master's degree, 11=PhDQ020Vote cast in the 2024 European electionsNumeric1 = Brothers of Italy 2 = League 3 = Forza Italia 4 = Democratic Party 5 = Green-Left Alliance 6 = Five Star Movement 7 = United States of Europe 8 = Calenda’s Action 9 = Peace Land Dignity 10 = Freedom of De Luca 11 = Other party 12 = Did not vote 13 = Blank/null vote 14 = Prefer not to sayQ021Vote cast in the 2024 European elections (second control variable)Numeric1 = Brothers of Italy 2 = Lega 3 = Forza Italia 4 = Democratic Party 5 = Green-Left Alliance 6 = Five Star Movement 7 = United States of Europe 8 = Calenda’s Action 9 = Peace Land Dignity 10 = Freedom of De Luca 11 = Other party 12 = Did not vote 13 = Blank/null vote 14 = Prefer not to sayQ022_01The government carries out secret acts of violenceNumeric1 = Strongly disagree 2 = Disagree 3 = Neither agree nor disagree 4 = Agree 5 = Strongly agreeQ022_02Events manipulated by small secret groupsNumeric1 = Strongly disagree 2 = Disagree 3 = Neither agree nor disagree 4 = Agree 5 = Strongly agreeQ022_03Evidence of alien contact hidden from the publicNumeric1 = Strongly disagree 2 = Disagree 3 = Neither agree nor disagree 4 = Agree 5 = Strongly agreeQ022_04Experiments on drugs conducted without consentNumeric1 = Strongly disagree 2 = Disagree 3 = Neither agree nor disagree 4 = Agree 5 = Strongly agreeQ022_05Advanced technologies hidden for personal interestsNumeric1 = Strongly disagree 2 = Disagree 3 = Neither agree nor disagree 4 = Agree 5 = Strongly agreeQ023_01Immigration and the replacement of European populationsNumerica1 = Completely true, 2 = Mostly true, 3 = Neither true nor false, 4 = Mostly false, 5 = Completely falseQ023_02Creation of viruses like COVID-19 in a laboratoryNumerica1 = Completely true, 2 = Mostly true, 3 = Neither true nor false, 4 = Mostly false, 5 = Completely falseQ023_03Population control through vaccines and 5GNumerica1 = Completely true, 2 = Mostly true, 3 = Neither true nor false, 4 = Mostly false, 5 = Completely falseQ023_04Aliens and their alleged presence among politiciansNumerica1 = Completely true, 2 = Mostly true, 3 = Neither true nor false, 4 = Mostly false, 5 = Completely falseQ023_05The Holocaust and its veracityNumerica1 = Completely true, 2 = Mostly true, 3 = Neither true nor false, 4 = Mostly false, 5 = Completely falseQ023_06Flat Earth theoryNumeric1 = Completely true, 2 = Mostly true, 3 = Neither true nor false, 4 = Mostly false, 5 = Completely falseQ023_07Chemtrails and climate controlNumeric1 = Completely true, 2 = Mostly true, 3 = Neither true nor false, 4 = Mostly false, 5 = Completely falseQ024_01Politicians and their respect for the people's willNumeric1 = Strongly disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Neither agree nor disagree, 4 = Agree, 5 = Strongly agreeQ024_02The role of the people in political decisionsNumeric1 = Strongly disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Neither agree nor disagree, 4 = Agree, 5 = Strongly agreeQ024_03Perceived differences between the elite and the peopleNumeric1 = Strongly disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Neither agree nor disagree, 4 = Agree, 5 = Strongly agreeQ024_04Preference for a specialised politician vs. an ordinary citizenNumeric1 = Strongly disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Neither agree nor disagree, 4 = Agree, 5 = Strongly agreeQ024_05Politicians and their workNumeric1 = Strongly disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Neither agree nor disagree, 4 = Agree, 5 = Strongly agreeQ024_06Compromise in politicsNumeric1 = Strongly disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Neither agree nor disagree, 4 = Agree, 5 = Strongly agreeQ025_01Trust in the Italian ParliamentNumeric1 = No trust, 11 = Complete trustQ025_02Trust in the National Health ServiceNumeric1 = No trust, 11 = Complete trustQ025_03Trust in the Italian police forcesNumeric1 = No trust, 11 = Complete trustQ025_04Trust in Italian politiciansNumeric1 = No trust, 11 = Complete trustQ026Italexit - Vote on EU membershipNumeric1 = Remain in the EU, 2 = Leave the EU, 3 = I would not vote, 4 = Blank or null vote, 5 = I don't knowQ027Political self-placement from left to rightNumeric1= (0left), 11= (10right)Q028Average time on social networks (daily)Numeric1 = Less than 30 minutes, 2 = One hour, 3 = 1-2 hours, 4 = 2-3 hours, 5 = 4-5 hours, 6 = More than 5 hoursQ029_01Compassion as an important virtueNumeric1 = Strongly disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Neither agree nor disagree, 4 = Agree, 5 = Strongly agreeQ029_02Respect for authority as a value to be taughtNumeric1 = Strongly disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Neither agree nor disagree, 4 = Agree, 5 = Strongly agreeQ029_03Loyalty to family even in case of wrongdoingNumeric1 = Strongly disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Neither agree nor disagree, 4 = Agree, 5 = Strongly agreeQ030Overall life satisfactionNumeric1 = Not at all satisfied, 11 = Completely satisfiedQ031_01Trust in othersNumeric1 = Strongly disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Neither agree nor disagree, 4 = Agree, 5 = Strongly agreeQ031_02Attitude toward hiding true motives of an actionNumeric1 = Strongly disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Neither agree nor disagree, 4 = Agree, 5 = Strongly agreeQ031_03Belief in the kindness and goodness of peopleNumeric1 = Strongly disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Neither agree nor disagree, 4 = Agree, 5 = Strongly agreeQ032_01Rebellion of young people against authorityNumeric1 = Strongly disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Neither agree nor disagree, 4 = Agree, 5 = Strongly agreeQ032_02Importance of discipline and following leadersNumeric1 = Strongly disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Neither agree nor disagree, 4 = Agree, 5 = Strongly agreeQ032_03God’s laws on abortion, pornography, and marriageNumeric1 = Strongly disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Neither agree nor disagree, 4 = Agree, 5 = Strongly agreeQ032_04Premarital relationshipsNumeric1 = Strongly disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Neither agree nor disagree, 4 = Agree, 5 = Strongly agreeQ032_05Need for a stricter governmentNumeric1 = Strongly disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Neither agree nor disagree, 4 = Agree, 5 = Strongly agreeQ032_06Need to suppress troublemakers to maintain orderNumeric1 = Strongly disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Neither agree nor disagree, 4 = Agree, 5 = Strongly agreeQ033_01Consider the priorities of all groupsNumeric1 = Extremely opposed, 11 = Extremely favorableQ033_02Not pushing for equality among all groupsNumeric1 = Extremely opposed, 11 = Extremely favorableQ033_03Equality between groups as an idealNumeric1 = Extremely opposed, 11 = Extremely favorableQ033_04Dominance of superior groups over inferior groupsNumeric1 = Extremely opposed, 11 = Extremely favorableQ034_01Preference for handling complex problemsNumeric1 = Does not describe me at all, 5 = Describes me very wellQ034_02Preference for situations requiring a lot of thoughtNumeric1 = Does not describe me at all, 5 = Describes me very wellQ034_03Preference for tasks that require new solutions to problemsNumeric1 = Does not describe me at all, 5 = Describes me very wellQ035_01Ability to understand important political issuesNumeric1 = Strongly disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Neither agree nor disagree, 4 = Agree, 5 = Strongly agreeQ035_02Perception of politicians' effort to stay in touch with peopleNumeric1 = Strongly disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Neither agree nor disagree, 4 = Agree, 5 = Strongly agreeQ035_03Confidence in participating in political discussionsNumeric1 = Strongly disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Neither agree nor disagree, 4 = Agree, 5 = Strongly agreeQ035_04Perception that politicians care about the opinions of ordinary peopleNumeric1 = Strongly disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Neither agree nor disagree, 4 = Agree, 5 = Strongly agreeQ036_01Perception of being a natural leaderNumeric1 = Strongly disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Neither agree nor disagree, 4 = Agree, 5 = Strongly agreeQ036_02Perception of being special due to others' commentsNumeric1 = Strongly disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Neither agree nor disagree, 4 = Agree, 5 = Strongly agreeQ036_03Experience of being compared to famous peopleNumeric1 = Strongly disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Neither agree nor disagree, 4 = Agree, 5 = Strongly agreeQ037Interviewee ZES codeNumericCode from 1 to 60Q038Education level (degree vs no degree)Numeric1 = No degree, 2 = DegreeweightSample weighting variableString