Religious Attitude Inventory – RAI
A multidimensional self-report instrument designed to measure religious attitudes, distinguishing between a 'nearness of God' perspective and a 'fundamentalism-humanitarianism' view.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Religious Attitude Inventory – RAI was developed by William E. Broen Jr. (1957). It is designed to measure Religious Attitudes. The scale is intended for use with Adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 58 items organized into 2 factors/subscales: Nearness of God, Fundamentalism-Humanitarianism.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Nearness of God | 1,3,5,7,9,11,13,15,17,19,21,23,25,27,29,31,33,35,37,40,43,46,48,50,52,53,54,55,56,57,58 | 31 |
| Fundamentalism-Humanitarianism | 2,4,6,8,10,12,14,16,18,20,22,24,26,28,30,32,34,36,38,39,41,42,44,45,47,49,51,52,53,54,55,56,57,58 | 34 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: A = Agree, D = Disagree.
The scale includes 23 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 0 to 58. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low Religiosity / Agreement: 0 – 19
- Moderate Religiosity / Agreement: 20 – 38
- High Religiosity / Agreement: 39 – 58
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Factor 2 reported adequate reliability loadings; Factor 1 reliability was lower with several loadings below .42..
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.