Purpose

The main purpose of the Religious Exclusivity Scale is to measure the tendency of individuals to consider their own religious faith as the only true or correct one. It examines the degree to which a person believes that other religions are less valid or entirely wrong. Understanding these attitudes can help in assessing religious fanaticism and tolerance.

Analysis

The analysis of data from the Religious Exclusivity Scale involves collecting responses through a questionnaire containing statements related to the uniqueness and superiority of one’s own religion. Participants are asked to express the degree of their agreement or disagreement with these statements. The analysis can reveal the relationship between religious exclusivity and other factors, such as social attitudes and intercultural tolerance.

Scoring

The scoring of the scale is usually carried out using a Likert scale, where participants choose a value that represents the degree of their agreement with various statements, e.g., from “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree.” The numerical values resulting from these responses are used to calculate an overall exclusivity index. High scores indicate high levels of religious exclusivity.

References

Altemeyer, B. (2003). “Why do religious people tend to be more racist? A critical examination of the religious orientation-racism connection.” International Journal for the Psychology of Religion.
Hunsberger, B., & Jackson, L. M. (2005). “Religion, meaning, and prejudice.” Journal of Social Issues.
Ysseldyk, R., Matheson, K., & Anisman, H. (2010). “Religiosity as identity: Toward an understanding of religion from a social identity perspective.” Personality and Social Psychology Review.