1988 Senate Election Study Codebook
| Variable | Description | Possible Values |
| therm | thermometer rating of candidate | ranges from 0 (least favorable) to 100 (most favorable) |
| like | number of likes mentioned about the candidate | ranges from 0 to 5 |
| dlike | number of dislikes mentioned about the candidate | ranges from 0 to 5 |
| lds | number of likes mentioned, minus number of dislikes mentioned | ranges from -5 to 5 |
| contactc | number of contacts with candidate | ranges from 0 to 8 contacts; types of contacts include meeting the candidate, attending a meeting where the candidate spoke, talking to a member of the candidate's staff; receiving something in the mail from the candidate; reading about the candidate in a newspaper or magazine, hearing the candidate on the radio, seeing the candidate on TV, and knowing anyone who had contact with the candidate |
| contacto | number of contacts with candidate's opponent | ranges from 0 to 8 contacts; types of contacts include meeting the opponent, attending a meeting where the opponent spoke, talking to a member of the opponent's staff; receiving something in the mail from the opponent; reading about the opponent in a newspaper or magazine, hearing the opponent on the radio, seeing the opponent on TV, and knowing anyone who had contact with the opponent |
| spendc | amount spent by candidate in 1988 election campaign | |
| spendo | amount spent by candidate's opponent in 1988 election campaign | |
| party | party of candidate | 1. Democratic 0. Republican |
| inc | whether candidate is incumbent | 1. incumbent 0. challenger to incumbent or open-seat challenger |
| chal | whether candidate is a challenger to incumbent | 1. challenger to incumbent 0. incumbent or open-seat challenger |
| openchal | whether candidate is open-seat challenger | 1. open-seat challenger 0. incumbent or challenger to incumbent |
| racetype | type of race | 12. Democratic incumbent, Republican challenger 19. Democratic incumbent, Republican and other challengers 21. Republican incumbent, Democratic challenger 29. Republican incumbent, Democratic and other challengers 69. Open seat; Democratic and Republican challengers |
| id | respondent identification number |