Political and affective polarisation in a democracy in crisis: The E-Dem panel survey dataset (Spain, 2018–2019)

The E-DEM dataset provides information on the evolution of political and affective polarisation and electoral behaviour in the aftermath of the political crisis that shook the Spanish party system starting in 2014. The dataset is formed by a four-wave online panel survey of the Spanish voting age population between late October 2018 and May 2019. The four waves coincide with key moments in Spanish political life including local, regional, national, and European elections, as well as the conviction of Catalan secessionist leaders. It also covers the six-month period of the surge of Spain's new radical right party, Vox, spanning from shortly before its first major electoral success in Spain's most populous region, Andalusia, to its consolidation in the May 2019 European elections. The sample, which reflects the general population in terms of age, gender, and geographical province, consists of 1,484 panellists who completed the four waves, while the samples for individual waves are larger, ranging from 1,659 to 2,501 respondents. The data is especially useful for researchers who wish to explore dynamics of ideological and affective polarisation, factors that explain the rise of new parties, and for those investigating the evolution of political attitudes in general.