Scale Overview
The Dimensions of Religious Ideology Scale – DRIS was developed by Snell Putney & Russell Middleton (1961). It is designed to measure Religious Ideology. The scale is intended for use with General population, college students.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 19 items organized into 4 factors/subscales: Orthodoxy, Fanaticism, Importance, Ambivalence.
| Factor / Subscale |
Items |
N |
| Orthodoxy |
1,2,3,4,5,6 |
6 |
| Fanaticism |
7,8,9,10,11,12 |
6 |
| Importance |
13,14,15,16,17,18 |
6 |
| Ambivalence |
19 |
1 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = strongly disagree, 2 = moderately disagree, 3 = slightly disagree, 4 = no response, 5 = slightly agree, 6 = moderately agree, 7 = strongly agree.
The scale includes 4 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 6 to 42. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low (Orthodoxy, Fanaticism, or Importance): 6 – 23
- High (Orthodoxy, Fanaticism, or Importance): 24 – 42
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Orthodoxy = .50, Fanaticism = .49 – .77, Importance = .60.
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.