Measures of Religiosity

The measurement of religiosity and spirituality is increasingly common in the social and behavioral sciences, as well as within medicine and the medical and psychological sciences. However, attempting to measure and quantify such vague, nebulous, and seemingly subjective concepts has caused havoc among investigators. We define here the construct of religiosity and discuss general approaches to measurement. We then describe seven dimension-specific and three multidimensional scales, most developed within Christian populations. We also describe five religion-specific measures to assess Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, and New Age faith traditions. Finally, recommendations are made on the best measures of religiosity to use depending on the purpose of the research, the religious composition of the population, and the space available in the questionnaire. The chapter is rounded out with a brief description of measures of spirituality.

Duke Scholars

Author Harold G. Koenig Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Adult Psychiatry & Psychol ...