Exploring the political culture of Fratelli d’Italia with a novel middle-level elite survey

We introduce a novel dataset derived from a comprehensive survey targeting both elite and middle-level elites of Brothers of Italy (Fratelli d’Italia, FdI), the most-voted party in the Italian 2022 general elections and whose leader, Giorgia Meloni, is currently holding the office of Prime Minister. The dataset encompasses various aspects, including socio-demographic characteristics, prior political experience, motivations for joining the party, attitudes towards several political issues and institutions, policy preferences and populist orientation. Several questions have identical wording to those in recent mass surveys, facilitating comparisons between FdI elites, FdI voters and the broader Italian population. After detailing the fieldwork and main features of the sample, we illustrate potential uses of the dataset, such as examining the ideological cohesion of the party and the populist attitudes of its elites and voters.