respondent's sex (own statement)
1 = male
2 = female
3 = indeterminate/other

how attached the respondent feels to the canton of Aargau
1 = 0 (not attached at all)
2 = 1
3 = 2
4 = 3
5 = 4 (strongly attached)

respondent's interest in politics in the canton of Aargau
1 = not interested at all
2 = rather uninterested
3 = rather interested
4 = very interested

respondent's participation status at the current ballot (blank votes count as 'participated')
1 = not participated
2 = participated

whether or not indecision was a reason for the respondent to abstain from voting (only non-voters)
1 = is not true
2 = is true

respondent's voting decision on the federal proposal "Für die Würde der landwirtschaftlichen Nutztiere (Hornkuh-Initiative)" (only voters)
1 = yes (affirmative vote)
2 = no (negative vote)
3 = empty (blank vote) or not voted

importance the respondent attaches to the cantonal proposal "JA! für euse Wald"
1 = 0 (not important at all)
2 = 1
3 = 2
4 = 3
5 = 4
6 = 5
7 = 6
8 = 7
9 = 8
10 = 9
11 = 10 (very important)

whether or not the respondent would still have participated in the ballot if only cantonal and no federal proposals had been put to the vote (only federal and cantonal participants)
1 = certainly not
2 = probably not
3 = probably
4 = certainly

level of difficulty in understanding the cantonal proposal "JA! für euse Wald" for the respondent (only voters)
1 = rather easy
2 = rather difficult

respondent's time of decision concerning the cantonal proposal "JA! für euse Wald" (only voters)
1 = from the very beginning
2 = during the voting campaign
3 = at the last moment

respondent's agreement to the pro-argument "The forest is freely accessible by law at all times and offers a growing population recreation, peace and clean air. An increase in cantonal contributions is therefore justified." in favor of the cantonal proposa
1 = strongly disagree
2 = rather disagree
3 = rather agree
4 = fully agree

importance the respondent attaches to the pro-argument "The forest is freely accessible by law at all times and offers a growing population recreation, peace and clean air. An increase in cantonal contributions is therefore justified." in favor of the cant
1 = irrelevant
2 = rather unimportant
3 = rather important
4 = very important

respondent's answer to the skill question "If the initiative is accepted, the canton would have to spend at least CHF … per inhabitant dedicated to the forest." about the cantonal proposal "JA! für euse Wald" (3rd answer is correct; only voters)
1 = CHF 100
2 = CHF 50
3 = CHF 25

respondent's answer to the skill question "What percentage of the area of the canton of Aargau is covered with forest?" about the cantonal proposal "JA! für euse Wald" (2nd answer is correct; only voters)
1 = about 25 percent
2 = about 35 percent
3 = about 45 percent

respondent's answer to the skill question "Which party in the Grand Council was unanimously in favour of the initiative?" about the cantonal proposal "JA! für euse Wald" (3rd answer is correct; only voters)
1 = SVP
2 = FDP
3 = Grüne

respondent's answer to the skill question "In how many cantons can the Swiss abroad currently take part in the elections for the Council of States?" about the cantonal proposal "Ständeratswahlrecht für Auslandschweizerinnen und Auslandschweizer" (2nd ans
1 = in more than half of all cantons
2 = in less than half of all cantons
3 = in no other canton

respondent's answer to the skill question "In which elections can Aargau citizens living abroad currently take part?" about the cantonal proposal "Ständeratswahlrecht für Auslandschweizerinnen und Auslandschweizer" (2nd answer is correct; only voters)
1 = none, because they are not entitled to vote in the canton of Aargau
2 = in elections to the National Council
3 = in all elections in which voters resident in the canton of Aargau can participate

respondent's answer to the skill question "Which of the two current Argovian members of the Council of States, Pascale Bruderer and Philipp Müller, will be standing again in the 2019 elections?" about the cantonal proposal "Ständeratswahlrecht für Ausla
1 = neither of them
2 = Pascale Bruderer
3 = Philipp Müller

whether or not the respondent used free newspapers and free online journalism / news sites to learn about the cantonal proposals (only voters)
1 = not used
2 = used

whether or not the respondent discussed the cantonal proposals with acquaintances
1 = no
2 = yes

whether or not the respondent saw political advertisings such as street posters, flyers, online advertisements, etc. for or against the cantonal proposals
1 = Yes, most of them from the pro camp
2 = Yes, most of them from the contra camp
3 = Yes, from both sides to about the same extent
4 = No, I have not seen any political advertising

respondent's primary source of political information (on- vs. offline)
1 = online, i.e. via the Internet
2 = offline, for example via print media, television or radio
3 = on- as well as offline to about the same extent
4 = I never inform myself about politics

importance the respondent attaches to the position of the cantonal government of Aargau regarding his/her voting decision on the cantonal proposal "JA! für euse Wald" (only participating online respondents)
1 = very important
2 = rather important
3 = rather unimportant
4 = irrelevant
5 = don't know the government's position on this proposal

importance the respondent attaches to the position of the cantonal parliament of Aargau regarding his/her voting decision on the cantonal proposal "JA! für euse Wald" (only participating online respondents)
1 = very important
2 = rather important
3 = rather unimportant
4 = irrelevant
5 = don't know the parliament's position on this proposal

the political party the respondent feels closest to his/her own political stance
1 = SVP
2 = SP
3 = FDP
4 = CVP
5 = Grüne
6 = GLP
7 = EVP
8 = BDP
9 = custom answer
10 = none

respondent's left-right self-positioning
1 = 0 (far left)
2 = 1
3 = 2
4 = 3
5 = 4
6 = 5 (middle)
7 = 6
8 = 7
9 = 8
10 = 9
11 = 10 (far right)

respondent's trust in the cantonal government of Aargau
1 = 0 (no trust at all)
2 = 1
3 = 2
4 = 3
5 = 4
6 = 5
7 = 6
8 = 7
9 = 8
10 = 9
11 = 10 (complete trust)

respondent's preferred level of Switzerland opening up to foreign countries
1 = 1 (opens more to the outside)
2 = 2
3 = 3
4 = 4
5 = 5 (closes off more)

respondent's preferred level of equality of opportunities for foreigners in relation to Swiss nationals
1 = 1 (equal opportunities)
2 = 2
3 = 3
4 = 4
5 = 5 (better opportunities for Swiss)

respondent's attitude towards the opposition between environmentalism and economic prosperity
1 = 1 (environmental protection more important)
2 = 2
3 = 3
4 = 4
5 = 5 (economic prosperity more important)

respondent's attitude towards the opposition between an extended social welfare state and more individual responsibility
1 = 1 (stronger welfare state)
2 = 2
3 = 3
4 = 4
5 = 5 (higher self-responsibility)

respondent's attitude towards the opposition between state intervention and market competition
1 = 1 (stronger state control)
2 = 2
3 = 3
4 = 4
5 = 5 (more corporate freedom)

respondent's attitude towards the general introduction of e-voting in the canton of Aargau
1 = clearly against
2 = rather against
3 = rather in favor
4 = clearly in favor

respondent's marital status (own statement)
1 = single
2 = married
3 = widowed
4 = divorced
5 = in civil union
6 = dissolved civil union

respondent's denomination or religious community
1 = none/undenominational
2 = Protestant/Reformed/Evangelical
3 = Catholic/Christian Catholic/Old Catholic
4 = Jewish
5 = Muslim
6 = other

respondent's highest level of education
1 = no graduation
2 = compulsory schooling
3 = apprenticeship, commercial diploma
4 = academic high school, Federal Vocational Baccalaureate, graduate/technical secondary school
5 = higher vocational training, higher vocational school
6 = technical college/polytechnic
7 = university, ETH

respondent's current employment situation
1 = self-employed/freelancer
2 = employee in the company of the own family
3 = employee
4 = apprentice
5 = student
6 = pensioner
7 = unemployed
8 = inactive person with disability
9 = housewife/househusband
10 = other inactive person

respondent's current employment level (only economically active persons)
1 = part-time employed less than 50 %
2 = part-time employed 50–69 %
3 = part-time employed 70–89 %
4 = full-time employed 90 % or more

respondent's occupational sector (only economically active persons)
1 = private sector
2 = public sector
3 = other (e.g. mixed-economy)

respondent's housing situation
1 = tenant
2 = owner
3 = other (e.g. free or official residence)

respondent's monthly gross household income
1 = up to CHF 3000
2 = CHF 3001–6000
3 = CHF 6001–9000
4 = CHF 9001–12000
5 = CHF 12001–15000
6 = over CHF 15000

how well the respondent gets along with his income
1 = not at all well
2 = not so well
3 = pretty well
4 = very well

respondent's personal share of gross household income (only persons not living alone)
1 = much less than half or nothing
2 = less than half
3 = about half
4 = more than half
5 = much more than half or everything

the channel through which the respondent answered the questionnaire
1 = online
2 = print

respondent's questionnaire completion status
1 = finished without interruption
2 = finished after interruption
3 = unfinished

dummy value indicating whether or not the respondent's own statement about his/her sex matches the official cantonal register information
1 = mismatch
2 = match

dummy value indicating whether or not respondent is working (additional routing question for students and pensioners; only online respondents)
1 = yes (working)
2 = no (not working)

respondent's district of residence
1 = Aarau
2 = Baden
3 = Bremgarten
4 = Brugg
5 = Kulm
6 = Laufenburg
7 = Lenzburg
8 = Muri
9 = Rheinfelden
10 = Zofingen
11 = Zurzach

Spatial typology by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) of respondent's place of residence: Municipality size class ("Gemeinde-Grössenklasse")
1 = < 1,000 inhabitants
2 = 1000–1999 inhabitants
3 = 2000–4999 inhabitants
4 = 5000–9999 inhabitants
5 = 10000–19999 inhabitants
6 = 20000–49999 inhabitants
7 = 50000–99999 inhabitants
8 = ≥ 100000 inhabitants

Spatial typology by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) of respondent's place of residence: Space with urban character ("Raum mit städtischem Charakter 2012")
1 = rural municipality without urban character
2 = core municipality outside agglomerations
3 = multiply oriented municipality
4 = agglomeration belt municipality
5 = agglomeration core municipality (secondary core)
6 = agglomeration core municipality (main core)
7 = agglomeration core municipality (core city)

Spatial typology by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) of respondent's place of residence: Agglomeration size class 2012 ("Agglomerationsgrössenklasse 2012")
1 = no agglomeration affiliation
2 = < 50000 inhabitants
3 = 50000–99999 inhabitants
4 = 100000–249999 inhabitants
5 = 250000–499999 inhabitants
6 = ≥ 500000 inhabitants

Spatial typology by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) of respondent's place of residence: (Statistical) cities 2012 ("(Statistische) Städte 2012")
1 = city
2 = no city

Spatial typology by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) of respondent's place of residence: Eurostat's degree of urbanisation 2011 (DEGURBA)
1 = thinly populated area
2 = intermediate density area
3 = densely populated area

Spatial typology by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) of respondent's place of residence: Municipality typology 2012 in 9 categories ("Gemeindetypologie 2012 (9 Kategorien)")
1 = rural peripheral municipality
2 = rural centrally located municipality
3 = rural central municipality
4 = periurban municipality of low density
5 = periurban municipality of medium density
6 = periurban municipality of high density
7 = urban municipality of a small or outside of an agglomeration
8 = urban municipality of a medium-sized agglomeration
9 = urban municipality of a large agglomeration

Spatial typology by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) of respondent's place of residence: Municipality typology 2012 in 25 categories ("Gemeindetypologie 2012 (25 Kategorien)")
1 = rural peripheral mixed municipality
2 = rural peripheral agricultural municipality
3 = rural peripheral tourism municipality
4 = rural centrally located service municipality
5 = rural centrally located industrial municipality
6 = rural centrally located agricultural municipality
7 = service municipality of a rural centre
8 = industrial municipality of a rural centre
9 = tourism municipality of a rural centre
10 = periurban low density service municipality
11 = periurban low density industrial municipality
12 = periurban low density agricultural municipality
13 = periurban medium density service municipality
14 = periurban medium density industrial municipality
15 = periurban high density service municipality
16 = periurban high density industrial municipality
17 = urban service municipality of a small or outside of an agglomeration
18 = urban industrial municipality of a small or outside of an agglomeration
19 = urban tourism municipality of a small or outside of an agglomeration
20 = urban residential municipality of a medium-sized agglomeration
21 = urban workplace municipality of a medium-sized agglomeration
22 = core city of a medium-sized agglomeration
23 = urban residential municipality of a large agglomeration
24 = urban workplace municipality of a large agglomeration
25 = core city of a large agglomeration

Spatial typology by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) of respondent's place of residence: City/rural typology 2012 ("Stadt/Land-Typologie 2012")
1 = rural
2 = intermediary
3 = urban

the way the questionnaire was provisioned to the respondent
1 = online and print simultaneously
2 = online first, print only later with reminder letter
3 = online only

type of the ballot
1 = referendum
2 = election
3 = both_referendum_and_election

respondent's age group (derived from age)
1 = 18–29 years
2 = 30–39 years
3 = 40–49 years
4 = 50–59 years
5 = 60–69 years
6 = 70+ years

respondent's left-right self-positioning (reduced)
1 = far left (0–2)
2 = left (3–4)
3 = center (5)
4 = right (6–7)
5 = far right (8–10)

respondent's trust in the cantonal government of Aargau (reduced)
1 = very low (0–2)
2 = rather low (3–4)
3 = medium (5)
4 = rather high (6–7)
5 = very high (8–10)

respondent's marital status (own statement; reduced)
1 = single
2 = married/in civil union
3 = widowed
4 = divorced/dissolved civil union

respondent's denomination or religious community (reduced)
1 = none/undenominational
2 = Protestant/Reformed/Evangelical
3 = Catholic/Christian Catholic/Old Catholic
4 = other

respondent's highest level of education (reduced)
1 = no graduation, compulsory schooling
2 = apprenticeship, commercial diploma
3 = higher education entrance qualification, diploma/technical secondary school, higher vocational training
4 = polytechnic, university, ETH

respondent's current employment situation (reduced)
1 = self-employed/freelancer
2 = employee
3 = in education
4 = pensioner
5 = unemployed
6 = other inactive person
7 = housewife/househusband

the political party (recoded extended set) the respondent feels closest to his/her own political stance
1 = SVP
2 = SP
3 = FDP
4 = CVP
5 = Grüne
6 = GLP
7 = EVP
8 = BDP
9 = other
10 = multiple (left)
11 = multiple (center-right)
12 = multiple (arbitrary)
13 = none

empirical quarter the respondent's monthly gross equivalised income belongs in
1 = bottom income quarter
2 = second income quarter
3 = third income quarter
4 = top income quarter

dummy value indicating whether or not the respondent answered the skill question "If the initiative is accepted, the canton would have to spend at least CHF … per inhabitant dedicated to the forest." about the cantonal proposal "JA! für euse Wald" corre
1 = wrong
2 = correct

dummy value indicating whether or not the User-Agent string of the respondent's web browser corresponds to a mobile device (smartphone, tablet etc.; only online respondents)
1 = non-mobile device
2 = mobile device

respondent's latent expertise on the cantonal proposal "JA! für euse Wald", measured in 5 discrete categories (based on latent_expertise_cantonal_proposal_1; only voters)
1 = very low
2 = rather low
3 = medium
4 = rather high
5 = very high