A cross-sectional survey dataset on Role-playing, Big Five traits, self-esteem, life satisfaction, and basic psychological need satisfaction (N = 279)

This dataset contains raw, anonymized responses from a cross-sectional online survey of 279 Polish-speaking adults (167 women, 100 men, 12 other genders; aged 18–74) that examines recreational role-play as a leisure activity and its relationship to personality and well-being. A filter item divided the sample into people who engage in role-play (n = 145) and those who do not (n = 134). Role-players additionally reported length of experience, the forms they practice (social-media role-play on Facebook/Discord/X, tabletop RPGs, LARP, play-by-forum), who they play with, their motivations, and the perceived problems and benefits of the activity, recorded as multi-select categorical responses with free-text write-ins retained. All participants completed four established self-report instruments in their Polish adaptations: the IPIP-BFM-50 measuring the five personality traits (Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Emotional Stability, Intellect), the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, the Satisfaction With Life Scale, and the satisfaction subscales of the Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction and Frustration Scale (Autonomy, Relatedness, Competence). The file provides item-level data for every scale alongside computed subscale and total scores, so users can reproduce or re-specify any aggregate. Reverse-keyed items have already been recoded in the item columns and must not be reversed again; blanks in the six role-play-specific columns are structural skips by design for non-players, not missing data. A second worksheet, "Codebook", documents every variable with its label, type, response scale, value labels, valid N, observed range, scoring rules, and source references. The data support secondary analyses of leisure role-play, personality correlates of imaginative and social hobbies, and self-determination-theory-based work on need satisfaction and well-being.