Replication Data for: JUSTIFICATIONS AND CITIZEN COMPETENCE IN DIRECT DEMOCRACY – A Multilevel Analysis

While the popularity and implementation of direct democratic instruments is growing throughout the democratic world, the criticism that ordinary voters lack the necessary competence to make policy decisions persists. This paper presents novel and original a measure of voters’ level of justification as a possible, policy-specific, conceptualization of citizen competence in direct democracy. Using a unique dataset based on 34 ballot decisions in Switzerland, the study explores the levels and correlates of citizen competence by means of a multilevel analysis. The main findings are, first, that most voters know relevant policy-arguments. Second, the context is just as important as individual resources in determining voters’ competence. Finally, with regard to individual resources, motivation correlates more strongly with competence than ability.