Religious Doubts Scale – RD Scale
Measures the degree to which individuals experience doubts about traditional religious teachings.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Religious Doubts Scale – RD Scale was developed by Bob Altemeyer (1988). It is designed to measure Religious Doubt. The scale is intended for use with Adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 10 items.
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 0 = None at all, 1 = Only a little bit, 2 = A mild amount, 3 = A moderate amount, 4 = Quite a bit, 5 = A great deal.
Scoring
Items are summed to produce a total score.
Total scores range from 0 to 50. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low religious doubt: 0 – 15
- Moderate religious doubt: 16 – 30
- High religious doubt: 31 – 50
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of 0.84 – 0.86.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 5 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.