Scale Overview
The Inventory of Religious Belief – IRB was developed by D. G. Brown & W. L. Lowe (1951). It is designed to measure Belief in traditional Christian dogma. The scale is intended for use with Adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 15 items.
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Strongly agree, 2 = Agree, 3 = Not sure, 4 = Disagree, 5 = Strongly disagree.
The scale includes 7 reverse-scored items to reduce acquiescence bias.
Scoring
Items are summed to produce a total score.
Total scores range from 15 to 75. Interpretation guidelines:
- Liberal / Nonbelief orientation: 15 – 44
- Neutral / Midpoint: 45 – 45
- Conservative / Traditional Christian belief orientation: 46 – 75
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of 0.87.
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.