Nearness to God Scale – NGS
Measures the extent to which an individual feels God is real, constantly near, and accessible.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Nearness to God Scale – NGS was developed by Richard L. Gorsuch & Craig S. Smith (1983). It is designed to measure Nearness to God. The scale is intended for use with Adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 6 items.
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Agree (A), 0 = Disagree (D).
Scoring
Items are summed to produce a total score.
Total scores range from 0 to 6. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low Nearness to God: 0 – 2
- Moderate Nearness to God: 3 – 4
- High Nearness to God: 5 – 6
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of 0.60 (K-R coefficient for the original 30-item pool).
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 2 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.