Religious Fundamentalism Scale – RFS
Measures fundamentalistic, doctrinaire, and conservative religious beliefs, stressing dogma and supernaturalism.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Religious Fundamentalism Scale – RFS was developed by James G. Martin & Frank R. Westie (1959). It is designed to measure Religious Fundamentalism. The scale is intended for use with Adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 9 items.
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 2 = Strongly Agree, 1 = Agree, 0 = Undecided, -1 = Disagree, -2 = Strongly Disagree.
The scale includes 4 reverse-scored items to reduce acquiescence bias.
Scoring
Items are summed to produce a total score.
Total scores range from -18 to 18. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low Fundamentalism (High Religious Liberalism/Skepticism): -18 – -7
- Moderate / Undecided: -6 – 6
- High Fundamentalism (High Religious Orthodoxy/Conservatism): 7 – 18
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Not reported in original study.
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.