DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.15102598
title: Conspiracy vs Populism

description: 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)



Codebook


The 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 name



Variable description



Variable type



Values and coding





ID



Interviewee ID



Numeric



 





Q006



Interviewee date



String



Date (format: DD/MM/YYYY)





Q008



Gender



Numeric



1 = Male, 2 = Female, 3 = Non-binary/Other





Q009



Date of birth



String



Date (format: DD/MM/YYYY)





Q010



Age



Numeric



Age of the interviewee in years





Q011



Year of birth



Numeric



Year of birth





Q012



Age group



Numeric



1 = 18-24 years, 2 = 25-34 years, 3 = 35-44 years, 4 = 45-54 years, 5 = 55-64 years, 6 = Over 64 years





Q013



Municipality of residence



Numeric



ISTAT code of the municipality of residence





Q014



Region of residence



Numeric



1 = 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=Abroad





Q015



Province of residence



Numeric



Numerical code of the province of residence





Q016



Geographic area (5 macro-areas)



Numeric



1 = North-West 2 = North-East 3 = Centre 4 = South 5 = Islands





Q017



Gender indicator or other (robots/non-binary)



String



1 = Male 2 = Female





Q018



Gender (ZES)



Numeric



1 = Male 2 = Female





Q019



Education level



Numeric



1 = 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=PhD





Q020



Vote cast in the 2024 European elections



Numeric



1 = 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 say





Q021



Vote cast in the 2024 European elections (second control variable)



Numeric



1 = 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 say





Q022_01



The government carries out secret acts of violence



Numeric



1 = Strongly disagree 2 = Disagree 3 = Neither agree nor disagree 4 = Agree 5 = Strongly agree





Q022_02



Events manipulated by small secret groups



Numeric



1 = Strongly disagree 2 = Disagree 3 = Neither agree nor disagree 4 = Agree 5 = Strongly agree





Q022_03



Evidence of alien contact hidden from the public



Numeric



1 = Strongly disagree 2 = Disagree 3 = Neither agree nor disagree 4 = Agree 5 = Strongly agree





Q022_04



Experiments on drugs conducted without consent



Numeric



1 = Strongly disagree 2 = Disagree 3 = Neither agree nor disagree 4 = Agree 5 = Strongly agree





Q022_05



Advanced technologies hidden for personal interests



Numeric



1 = Strongly disagree 2 = Disagree 3 = Neither agree nor disagree 4 = Agree 5 = Strongly agree





Q023_01



Immigration and the replacement of European populations



Numerica



1 = Completely true, 2 = Mostly true, 3 = Neither true nor false, 4 = Mostly false, 5 = Completely false





Q023_02



Creation of viruses like COVID-19 in a laboratory



Numerica



1 = Completely true, 2 = Mostly true, 3 = Neither true nor false, 4 = Mostly false, 5 = Completely false





Q023_03



Population control through vaccines and 5G



Numerica



1 = Completely true, 2 = Mostly true, 3 = Neither true nor false, 4 = Mostly false, 5 = Completely false





Q023_04



Aliens and their alleged presence among politicians



Numerica



1 = Completely true, 2 = Mostly true, 3 = Neither true nor false, 4 = Mostly false, 5 = Completely false





Q023_05



The Holocaust and its veracity



Numerica



1 = Completely true, 2 = Mostly true, 3 = Neither true nor false, 4 = Mostly false, 5 = Completely false





Q023_06



Flat Earth theory



Numeric



1 = Completely true, 2 = Mostly true, 3 = Neither true nor false, 4 = Mostly false, 5 = Completely false





Q023_07



Chemtrails and climate control



Numeric



1 = Completely true, 2 = Mostly true, 3 = Neither true nor false, 4 = Mostly false, 5 = Completely false





Q024_01



Politicians and their respect for the people's will



Numeric



1 = Strongly disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Neither agree nor disagree, 4 = Agree, 5 = Strongly agree





Q024_02



The role of the people in political decisions



Numeric



1 = Strongly disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Neither agree nor disagree, 4 = Agree, 5 = Strongly agree





Q024_03



Perceived differences between the elite and the people



Numeric



1 = Strongly disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Neither agree nor disagree, 4 = Agree, 5 = Strongly agree





Q024_04



Preference for a specialised politician vs. an ordinary citizen



Numeric



1 = Strongly disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Neither agree nor disagree, 4 = Agree, 5 = Strongly agree





Q024_05



Politicians and their work



Numeric



1 = Strongly disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Neither agree nor disagree, 4 = Agree, 5 = Strongly agree





Q024_06



Compromise in politics



Numeric



1 = Strongly disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Neither agree nor disagree, 4 = Agree, 5 = Strongly agree





Q025_01



Trust in the Italian Parliament



Numeric



1 = No trust, 11 = Complete trust





Q025_02



Trust in the National Health Service



Numeric



1 = No trust, 11 = Complete trust





Q025_03



Trust in the Italian police forces



Numeric



1 = No trust, 11 = Complete trust





Q025_04



Trust in Italian politicians



Numeric



1 = No trust, 11 = Complete trust





Q026



Italexit - Vote on EU membership



Numeric



1 = Remain in the EU, 2 = Leave the EU, 3 = I would not vote, 4 = Blank or null vote, 5 = I don't know





Q027



Political self-placement from left to right



Numeric



1= (0left), 11= (10right)





Q028



Average time on social networks (daily)



Numeric



1 = Less than 30 minutes, 2 = One hour, 3 = 1-2 hours, 4 = 2-3 hours, 5 = 4-5 hours, 6 = More than 5 hours





Q029_01



Compassion as an important virtue



Numeric



1 = Strongly disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Neither agree nor disagree, 4 = Agree, 5 = Strongly agree





Q029_02



Respect for authority as a value to be taught



Numeric



1 = Strongly disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Neither agree nor disagree, 4 = Agree, 5 = Strongly agree





Q029_03



Loyalty to family even in case of wrongdoing



Numeric



1 = Strongly disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Neither agree nor disagree, 4 = Agree, 5 = Strongly agree





Q030



Overall life satisfaction



Numeric



1 = Not at all satisfied, 11 = Completely satisfied





Q031_01



Trust in others



Numeric



1 = Strongly disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Neither agree nor disagree, 4 = Agree, 5 = Strongly agree





Q031_02



Attitude toward hiding true motives of an action



Numeric



1 = Strongly disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Neither agree nor disagree, 4 = Agree, 5 = Strongly agree





Q031_03



Belief in the kindness and goodness of people



Numeric



1 = Strongly disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Neither agree nor disagree, 4 = Agree, 5 = Strongly agree





Q032_01



Rebellion of young people against authority



Numeric



1 = Strongly disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Neither agree nor disagree, 4 = Agree, 5 = Strongly agree





Q032_02



Importance of discipline and following leaders



Numeric



1 = Strongly disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Neither agree nor disagree, 4 = Agree, 5 = Strongly agree





Q032_03



God’s laws on abortion, pornography, and marriage



Numeric



1 = Strongly disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Neither agree nor disagree, 4 = Agree, 5 = Strongly agree





Q032_04



Premarital relationships



Numeric



1 = Strongly disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Neither agree nor disagree, 4 = Agree, 5 = Strongly agree





Q032_05



Need for a stricter government



Numeric



1 = Strongly disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Neither agree nor disagree, 4 = Agree, 5 = Strongly agree





Q032_06



Need to suppress troublemakers to maintain order



Numeric



1 = Strongly disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Neither agree nor disagree, 4 = Agree, 5 = Strongly agree





Q033_01



Consider the priorities of all groups



Numeric



1 = Extremely opposed, 11 = Extremely favorable





Q033_02



Not pushing for equality among all groups



Numeric



1 = Extremely opposed, 11 = Extremely favorable





Q033_03



Equality between groups as an ideal



Numeric



1 = Extremely opposed, 11 = Extremely favorable





Q033_04



Dominance of superior groups over inferior groups



Numeric



1 = Extremely opposed, 11 = Extremely favorable





Q034_01



Preference for handling complex problems



Numeric



1 = Does not describe me at all, 5 = Describes me very well





Q034_02



Preference for situations requiring a lot of thought



Numeric



1 = Does not describe me at all, 5 = Describes me very well





Q034_03



Preference for tasks that require new solutions to problems



Numeric



1 = Does not describe me at all, 5 = Describes me very well





Q035_01



Ability to understand important political issues



Numeric



1 = Strongly disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Neither agree nor disagree, 4 = Agree, 5 = Strongly agree





Q035_02



Perception of politicians' effort to stay in touch with people



Numeric



1 = Strongly disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Neither agree nor disagree, 4 = Agree, 5 = Strongly agree





Q035_03



Confidence in participating in political discussions



Numeric



1 = Strongly disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Neither agree nor disagree, 4 = Agree, 5 = Strongly agree





Q035_04



Perception that politicians care about the opinions of ordinary people



Numeric



1 = Strongly disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Neither agree nor disagree, 4 = Agree, 5 = Strongly agree





Q036_01



Perception of being a natural leader



Numeric



1 = Strongly disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Neither agree nor disagree, 4 = Agree, 5 = Strongly agree





Q036_02



Perception of being special due to others' comments



Numeric



1 = Strongly disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Neither agree nor disagree, 4 = Agree, 5 = Strongly agree





Q036_03



Experience of being compared to famous people



Numeric



1 = Strongly disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Neither agree nor disagree, 4 = Agree, 5 = Strongly agree





Q037



Interviewee ZES code



Numeric



Code from 1 to 60





Q038



Education level (degree vs no degree)



Numeric



1 = No degree, 2 = Degree





weight



Sample weighting variable



String