Congregation Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ)
Measures church and synagogue members' satisfaction with various dimensions of their religious institutions.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Congregation Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ) was developed by William H. Silverman, Kenneth I. Pargament, Stephen M. Johnson, Ruben J. Echemendia, and Susan Snyder (1983). It is designed to measure Congregation Satisfaction. The scale is intended for use with Church and synagogue members.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 72 items organized into 7 factors/subscales: Religious Services, Church Members, Church Leaders, Special Programs and Activities, Religious Education For Children, Religious Education For Adults, Church Facilities.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Religious Services | 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10 | 10 |
| Church Members | 11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21 | 11 |
| Church Leaders | 22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30 | 9 |
| Special Programs and Activities | 31,32,33,34,35,36,37,38,39,40 | 10 |
| Religious Education For Children | 41,42,43,44,45,46,47,48,49,50 | 10 |
| Religious Education For Adults | 51,52,53,54,55,56,57,58,59,60 | 10 |
| Church Facilities | 61,62,63,64,65,66,67,68,69,70,71,72 | 12 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Not at all descriptive, 2 = Somewhat descriptive, 3 = Pretty much descriptive, 4 = Very much descriptive, 5 = Completely descriptive.
The scale includes 36 reverse-scored items to reduce acquiescence bias.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 1 to 5. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low Satisfaction: 1 – 2
- Moderate Satisfaction: 2 – 3
- High Satisfaction: 3 – 5
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Cronbach's alpha ranged from .79 to .94 across subscales.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 15 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.