DIMENSIONS OF RELIGIOUS COMMITMENT

Abstract

The Dimensions of Religious Commitment Scale, developed by Charles Glock and Rodney Stark, is a seminal instrument in the sociological measurement of religiosity. Introduced in the 1960s, this scale marked a critical shift toward viewing religion as a complex, multidimensional phenomenon, moving beyond earlier studies that focused on only one or two aspects. The scale was initially designed to encompass five core dimensions: belief (ideology), ritual (practice), experience, knowledge, and consequences. However, the consequences dimension was often omitted in practice as it was considered a measure of the social outcomes of religiosity rather than religiosity itself.

The comprehensive measure consists of 48 primary items, many of which contain multiple subsections, allowing researchers to construct several specific indices. These indices include the Belief Orthodoxy Index, Particularism Index, Ethicalism Index, Practice Ritual Involvement Index, Devotionalism Index, Religious Experience Index, and Religious Knowledge Index. While the scale has faced criticisms concerning the potential overlap between the belief and knowledge dimensions, subsequent research, particularly that utilizing factor analysis by King and Hunt (1975), has largely corroborated Glock and Stark’s claim of multidimensionality, affirming its status as a foundational tool for quantitative religious research.

Keywords

Religious commitment, Glock and Stark, religiosity measures, belief orthodoxy, ritual involvement, religious experience, sociological measures of religion, multidimensional scale

Authors

Charles Glock, Rodney Stark

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Dimensions of Religious Commitment Scale is to provide a comprehensive, standardized method for measuring the multifaceted nature of religious commitment within sociological and psychological research. Prior to its development, most quantitative studies relied on single-item or narrow measurements, which failed to capture the complexity of an individual’s religious life.

The scale aims to operationalize religious commitment by dividing it into distinct, measurable components. By offering a large pool of survey items that can be combined into specific indices, the instrument allows researchers flexibility. This means studies can focus on specific dimensions of interest—such as private devotional practices or theological knowledge—without needing to administer the entire battery of questions, though researchers are cautioned against claiming comprehensive measurement if only select indices are used.

Construct

The underlying construct measured by this instrument is Religiosity, conceptualized by Glock and Stark as a multidimensional construct rather than a single, unified variable. They originally proposed five dimensions, with four actively measured in the scale items:

• Belief (Ideological): Measures adherence to central religious doctrines and specific tenets (e.g., Belief Orthodoxy Index, Particularism Index).
• Ritual (Practice): Measures involvement in religious activities, both organized public worship (Practice Ritual Involvement Index) and private devotional practices (Devotionalism Index).
• Experience (Feeling): Measures the extent to which an individual reports personal contact with the supernatural or feels a sense of being close to God (Religious Experience Index).
• Knowledge (Cognitive): Measures the degree of familiarity with essential religious content, such as biblical figures and events (Religious Knowledge Index).

Although the fifth dimension, Consequences (the effects of religion on daily life), was identified conceptually, it was generally omitted from the formal scale structure as it was seen as an outcome of religiosity rather than a core component of commitment itself. The development of these indices was heavily influenced by the earlier work of Gerhard Lenski, further solidifying the sociological orientation of the measure.

Validity

Glock and Stark conducted extensive internal validity checks through item intercorrelations to ensure that individual items logically connected to the indices they were designed to measure. These analyses demonstrated that individual items correlated well with their respective intended indices. Product moment correlations were reported, ranging from .404 to .766, suggesting reasonable internal consistency and construct coherence for the indices.

However, the original publication did not offer extensive external validity checks beyond the internal item analysis. Instead, the authors reported data that could be intuitively confirmed, such as expected differences in religious orthodoxy levels between various denominations (e.g., more theologically conservative Protestant groups, like Baptists, showing higher scores). The scale’s validity, particularly concerning the distinctness of the dimensions, has been a subject of academic debate, with some critics (e.g., Clayton, 1971) suggesting that most dimensions might ultimately be measuring different facets of religious belief.

Reliability

The original 1966 publication by Glock and Stark did not explicitly report any specific reliability data for the composite scale or its individual indices. While the strong item intercorrelations suggest some degree of internal consistency, standardized measures of reliability, such as Cronbach’s alpha, were not provided in the foundational text, leaving this aspect open for subsequent researchers to address.

Factor Analysis

Although Glock and Stark developed the scale based on theoretical dimensions, subsequent research utilized empirical methods to test the proposed multidimensional structure. Weigert and Thomas (1969) raised early criticisms, noting a significant overlap between the belief and knowledge dimensions, suggesting they belonged to a single ideological domain. Clayton and Gladden (1974) went further, proposing that almost all dimensions, except possibly the consequential scale, might simply be measuring aspects of religious belief.

In contrast, the influential research program conducted by King and Hunt (1975) provided strong empirical corroboration for the multidimensionality using an inductive approach based on factor analysis. King and Hunt identified six basic scales that closely aligned with Glock and Stark’s belief, experiential, and ritual dimensions, supporting the scale’s fundamental structure. More recent projects, such as those reported by Hilty (1988), continue to lend support to the multidimensional approach pioneered by Glock and Stark.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-Report Questionnaire/Index Construction

Format: A set of 48 multi-part survey questions, designed for index construction. Responses are typically multiple-choice or short answer, scored numerically.

Language Available: English (Original)

Population Group: Church members and general population samples (primarily Christian denominations).

Age Group: Adults

Population Details: The scale was standardized using two major samples: a 1963 regional study of over 3,000 Protestant and Roman Catholic church members in Northern California, and a 1964 national study (N = 1,976) conducted via the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) survey.

Test Methodology: The scoring is straightforward: answers indicating higher levels of religiosity are assigned higher numerical values, and totals are summed to create scores for each dimension’s index. The administration involves self-administered mail surveys or in-person interviews, requiring approximately 30 minutes for completion of all items.

Keywords

Glock and Stark scale, religious knowledge, devotionalism, ethicalism, particularism, sociological research, quantitative measurement of religion, index construction

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not available/Applicable

Affiliation Email addresses: Not available/Applicable

Correspondence Address: Refer to foundational publication: Glock, C., & Stark, R. (1966). Christian beliefs and anti-Semitism. New York: Harper & Row.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The scale was developed and published in 1966. Information on index construction is detailed in the publication: Glock, C., & Stark, R. (1966). Christian beliefs and anti-Semitism. Permissions and fees for academic use should be directed to the publisher or authors’ estates, though these measures are widely cited and often used in public domain sociological surveys.

Reference’s

Clayton, R. R. (1971). 5-D or I? Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 10(1), 37-40.

Clayton, R. R., & Gladden, J. (1974). The five dimensions of religiosity: Toward demythologizing a social artifact. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 13(2), 135-143.

DeJong, G., Faulkner, J., & Warland, R. (1976). Dimensions of religiosity reconsidered: Evidence from a cross-cultural study. Social Forces, 54, 866-889.

Faulkner, J. E., & DeJong, G. F. (1966). Religiosity in 5-D: An empirical analysis. Social Forces 45, 246-254.

Glock, C., & Stark, R. (1966). Christian beliefs and anti-Semitism. New York: Harper & Row.

Hilty, D. M. (1988). Religious belief, participation and consequences: An exploratory and confirmatory analysis. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 27(2), 243-259.

King, M., & Hunt, R. (1969). Measuring the religious variable: Amended findings. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 8, 321-323.

King, M., & Hunt, R. (1975). Measuring the religious variable: National replication. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 14, 13-22.

Roof, W. C. (1979). Concepts and indicators of religious commitment: A critical review. In R. Wuthnow (Ed.), The religious dimension: New directions in quantitative research (Chap. I). New York: Academic Press.

Weigert, A., & Thomas, D. (1969). Religiosity in 5-D: A critical note. Social Forces, 48, 260-263.

Items of the DIMENSIONS OF RELIGIOUS COMMITMENT

The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

To begin with, we would like to ask about your present church going habits and about your activities more generally.

l. What is the name and denomination of the church to which you presently belong?

2. How long have you been a member of your present congregation or parish?

• a. I have always been a member
• b. Less than one year
• c. One to two years
• d. Three to five years
• e. Six to ten years
• f. More than ten years

3. Have you ever been a member of a denomination other than your present one? Yes No

If yes, what denomination was that? (If more than one, list them in order from the most recent to the earliest.)

4. How often do you attend Sunday worship services?

• a. Every week
• b. Nearly every week
• c. About three times a month
• d. About twice a month
• e. About once a month
• f. About every six weeks
• g. About every three months
• h. About once or twice a year
• i. Less than once a year
• j. Never

5. Have you received Holy Communion in the last year? Yes No

6. Have you been baptized?

• a. Yes, in my present denomination
• b. Yes, in another denomination
• c. No

7. Have you been confirmed?

• a. Yes, in my present denomination
• b. Yes, in another denomination
• c. No

8. In an average week, how many evenings do you spend in church, including church meetings such as study groups that may not actually meet in the church building?

9. IF YOU HAVE CHILDREN, PLEASE ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS. IF NOT, SKIP TO QUESTION I 0.

What kind of school do your children attend?

• a. A parochial or church-affiliated school
• b. A public school
• c. A private school not affiliated with any church
• d. They do not attend school

How frequently, if at all, do your children attend Sunday school or religious instruction classes that are not part of their regular school day?

• a. They do not attend
• b. They attend regularly
• c. They attend often
• d. They attend sometimes

IO. All in all, how important would you say your church membership is to you?

• a. Extremely important
• b. Quite important
• c. Fairly important
• d. Not too important
• e. Fairly unimportant

11. In Column A, please list all of the church organizations, groups, or activities in which you participate, such as choir, church committees and boards, men’s clubs, women’s clubs, etc.

In Column B, please indicate how many of the last five meetings of each of these organizations you have attended.

In Column C, please indicate whether or not you have ever held an office in each organization you list.

Column A Column B Column C

12. IF YOU ARE NOW OR EVER HAVE BEEN MARRIED, PLEASE ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS. If you have been married more than once, answer for your most recent spouse.

• a. To what denomination does (or did) your spouse belong?
• b. In what denomination was your spouse raised?
• c. Would you say you are (or were) more or less interested in religion than your spouse?
  • a. More b. Less c. About the same
• d. About how often does (or did) your spouse attend Sunday worship services?
  • a. Every week
  • b. Nearly every week
  • c. About three times a month
  • d. About twice a month
  • e. About once a month
  • f. About every six weeks
  • g. About every three months
  • h. About once or twice a year
  • i. Less than once a year
  • j. Never

13. All in all, how well do you think you fit in with the group of people who make up your church congregation (or parish)?

• a. I really don’t fit in too well with this group of people
• b. I fit in, but not too well
• c. I fit in quite well
• d. I fit in very well

14. Generally speaking, would you say most of the people you associate with in activities aside from church affairs are or are not members of your congregation (or parish)?

• a. Most are members of my congregation (or parish)
• b. About half are and half aren’t
• c. Most are not members of my congregation

15. Of your five closest friends, how many are members of your congregation (or parish)?

16. Turning now to other religious activities besides attending church, how often, if at all, are table prayers or grace said before or after meals in your home?

• a. We say grace at all meals
• b. We say grace at least once a day
• c. We say grace at least once a week
• d. We say grace but only on special occasions
• e. We never, or hardly ever, say grace

17. How often do you read the Bible at home?

• a. To be frank, I never read the Bible or I read it so rarely that it probably shouldn’t even count
• b. I read it regularly once a day or more
• c. I read it regularly several times a week
• d. I read it regularly once a week
• e. I read it quite often, but not at regular intervals
• f. I read it once in a while
• g. I read it only on very special occasions

18. Thinking now of your daily life and the decisions that you have to make constantly about how to spend your time, how to act with other people, how to bring up your children, presuming you have them, and so on, to what extent does what you read in the Bible help you in making everyday decisions in your life?

• a. To be frank, I hardly ever think of the Bible and what it has to say as I go about my daily life
• b. While I can’t think of specific examples, nevertheless I feel sure that the Bible is still of help in my daily life
• c. I can think of specific examples when it has helped me in a very direct way in making decisions in life
• d. Other (please specify)

19. If you were asked, do you think you could recite the Ten Commandments?

• a. Yes, but not the exact words
• b. Yes, the exact words
• c. I’m not sure that I would remember all ten

20. Which of the following were Old Testament prophets?

• a. Elijah
• b. Deuteronomy
• c. Jeremiah
• d. Paul
• e. Leviticus
• f. Ezekiel
• g. None of these

21. Which one of Christ’s disciples denied Him three times?

• a. James
• b. Paul
• c. Judas
• d. Mark
• e. Peter
• f. Jacob

22. Would you say that the book of Acts was an eyewitness account of Jesus’ ministry?

• a. Yes
• b. No
• c. Don’t know

23. Would you please read each of the following statements and do two things: first, decide whether this statement is from the Bible or not; and second, please indicate whether or not you agree with the statement, even if you think the statement is not from the Bible.

For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.

From the Bible? a. Yes b. No

Do you agree? a. Yes b. No Blessed are the strong, for they shall be the sword of God.

From the Bible? a. Yes b. No

Do you agree? a. Yes b. No

Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.

From the Bible? Do you agree?

a. Yes

a. Yes

b. No

b. No

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

From the Bible? a. Yes b. No

Do you agree? a. Yes b. No

Let your women keep silence in the churches, for it is not permitted unto them to speak.

From the Bible? a. Yes b. No

Do you agree? a. Yes b. No

For I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me.

From the Bible? a. Yes b. No

Do you agree? a. Yes b. No

We’d like to shift now from asking about the Bible to asking about prayer. Prayer is a very private thing and we frankly are not sure whether we should ask people about their prayers. We hope that you will find the questions not too delicate to answer, but if you do, please tell us by writing in the margins.

• 24. How often do you pray privately?
• a. I never pray, or only do so at church services
• b. I pray only on very special occasions
• c. I pray once in a while, but not at regular intervals
• d. I pray quite often, but not at regular times
• e. I pray regularly once a day or more
• f. I pray regularly several times a week
• g. I pray regularly once a week

IF YOU EVER PRAY, OTHER THAN IN CHURCH, PLEASE ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS.

1. When you pray, why do you pray? (Answer as many as apply)

• a. As a Christian duty
• b. To find comfort when I am feeling low
• c. To strengthen my faith
• d. To try to learn God’s will
• e. To ask God’s guidance in making decisions
• f. Because it gives me a feeling of being closer to God
• g. To ask forgiveness for something I have done
• h. To ask God to bring someone else to Christian faith and belief
• i. To give thanks to God
• j. To be worshipful of God

Now look back at the list above, and please circle the answer that you feel is the most important reason that you pray.

2. Have you ever prayed during your adult years for the following purposes? (Answer as many as apply)

• a. To ask for some material thing, for example, a new car or a new house
• b. To ask God to keep some misfortune from happening to me
• c. To ask God to restore my health
• d. To ask God to restore someone else’s health
• e. None of these

3. Do you feel your prayers are answered?

• a. Yes, I have no doubt that they are
• b. I feel that they are, but I’m not entirely sure
• c. I don’t really know
• d. I feel that they aren’t, but I’m not entirely sure
• e. I guess I don’t feel that they really are
• f. Other (please specify)

4. How important is prayer in your life?

• a. Extremely important
• b. Fairly important
• c. Not too important
• d. Not important at all

25. How important is the idea of sin in your life?

• a. I am rather concerned with trying to live as sinless a life as possible
• b. I accept the idea of sin, but do not really think about it very often
• c. The idea of sin means very little to me
• d. None of the above represents my feelings; what I do feel is that

26. How often do you ask for forgiveness for your sins?

• a. Very often
• b. Quite often
• c. Occasionally
• d. Rarely
• e. Never

27. How certain are you that your sins are forgiven?

• a. I am absolutely certain they are
• b. I am fairly certain
• c. I feel they are forgiven sometimes, but not always
• d. I am never quite sure whether my sins are forgiven or not
• e. I usually feel that my sins are not forgiven
• f. I don’t think of sin in this way

28. Have you personally tried to convert someone to your religious faith?

• a. Yes, often
• b. Yes, a few times
• c. Yes, once or twice
• d. No, never

29. There has always been a good deal of discussion among Christians about how people ought to act in their daily lives. It is not always clear what characteristics ought to be admired and which ones we should disapprove of. Below you will find a series of descriptions of ways in which people act.

• l. Drinks moderately
• 2. Is very ambitious
• 3. Thinks he is better than others
• 4. Dresses in a flashy way
• 5. Prefers to be with people like himself
• 6. Is very patriotic
• 7. Feels that Christian holidays should not be celebrated in the public schools
• 8. Is very rich
• 9. Is very anxious to be thought of as an intellectual l 0. Is satisfied with his lot in life

For each one, decide how much you would admire or disapprove of a person who acted in this way. Complete the following sentence with one of the choices:

If a person were like this, I would:

• a. Admire him for it
• b. Think it was all right
• c. Be mildly disapproving of him
• d. Be highly disapproving of him

30. We would like you to imagine, for a moment, that for some reason you could no longer continue to attend a church of your present denomination. Below is a list of other denominations that it would be possible for you to attend. We would like you to consider each and decide for yourself how comfortable and “at home” you think you would feel in each. The choices for answering are:

• a. Very comfortable
• b. Comfortable
• c. A little uncomfortable
• d. Uncomfortable
• e. Don’t know enough about this denomination to say
• The denominations are:
  • a. Baptist
  • b. Jehovah’s Witnesses
  • c. Jewish
  • d. Lutheran
  • e. Presbyterian
  • f. Roman Catholic
  • g. Unitarian
  • h. Mormon

We now tum to another part of religious life-religious belief. We are concerned to learn not only what people believe but also how important their beliefs are to them. We hope you will find that the questions allow you to express your own beliefs. If not, please write a comment next to any question that you would consider to be inappropriate.

31. Which of the following statements comes closest to expressing what you believe about God?

• a. I know God exists and I have no doubts about it
• b. While I have doubts, I feel that I do believe in God
• c. I find myself believing in God some of the time, but not at other times
• d. I don’t believe in a personal God, but I do believe in a higher power of some kind
• e. I don’t know whether there is a God and I don’t believe there is any way to find out
• f. I don’t believe in God
• g. None of the above represents what I believe. What I believe about God is

32. Which of the following statements comes closest to expressing what you believe about Jesus?

• a. Jesus is the Divine Son of God and I have no doubts about it
• b. While I have some doubts, I feel basically that Jesus is Divine
• c. I feel that Jesus was a great man and very holy, but I don’t feel Him to be the Son of God any more than all of us are children of God
• d. I think Jesus was only a man, although an extraordinary one
• e. Frankly, I’m not entirely sure there really was such a person as Jesus
• f. None of the above represents what I believe. What I believe about Jesus is

‘ 33. The Bible tells of many miracles, some credited to Christ and some to other prophets and apostles. Generally speaking, which of the following statements comes closest to what you believe about biblical miracles.

• a. I am not sure whether these miracles really happened or not
• b. I believe miracles are stories and never really happened
• c. I believe the miracles happened, but can be explained by natural causes
• d. I believe the miracles actually happened just as the Bible says they did

34. Please think about each of the religious beliefs listed below and indicate how certain you are that it is true according to these choices: Completely true, probably true, probably not true, definitely not true

• a. There is life beyond death
• b. Jesus was born of a virgin
• c. The devil actually exists
• d. Jesus was opposed to all drinking of alcohol
• e. What we do in this life will determine our fate in the hereafter
• f. Jesus walked on water
• g. Man cannot help doing evil
• h. The pope is infallible in matters of faith and morals
• i. Jesus was born a Jew
• j. Only those who believe in Jesus Christ can go to heaven
• k. A child is born into the world already guilty of sin

35. When you think of salvation, do you think primarily of being granted eternal life beyond the grave or do you think primarily of being released from sin and protected from evil in this life?

• a. I think primarily of being granted eternal life beyond death
• b. I think primarily of being released from sin and protected from evil in this life
• c. Other

36. Please read each of the items listed below and decide whether you think it is:

• 1. Absolutely necessary for salvation
• 2. Probably would help in gaining salvation or
• 3. Probably has no influence on salvation
  • a. Belief in Jesus Christ as Savior
  • b. Holy Baptism
  • c. Membership in a Christian church
  • d. Regular participation in Christian sacraments, for example, Holy Communion
  • e. Holding the Bible to be God’s truth
  • f. Prayer
  • g. Doing good for others
  • h. Tithing
  • i. Being a member of your particular religious faith
  • j. Loving thy neighbor
• 37. Now looking at the following items, please indicate for each whether you think it will:
• 1. Definitely prevent salvation
• 2. May possibly prevent salvation or
• 3. Probably has no influence on salvation
  • a. Drinking liquor
  • b. Breaking the Sabbath
  • c. Being completely ignorant of Jesus, as might be the case for people living in other countries
  • d. Taking the name of the Lord in vain
  • e. Being of the Jewish religion
  • f. Practicing artificial birth control
  • g. Being of the Hindu religion
  • h. Marrying a non-Christian
  • i. Discriminating against other races
  • j. Being anti-Semitic

38. Do you believe Jesus will actually return to the earth some day?

• a. Definitely
• b. Probably
• c. Possibly
• d. Probably not
• e. Definitely not

IF YOU THINK JESUS WILL DEFINITELY OR PROBABLY RETURN, PLEASE ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTION:

How soon do you expect Jesus’ return to happen?

• a. In the next 10 years
• b. In the next 25 years
• c. In the next 50 years
• d. In the next I00 years
• e. 200 to 500 years from now
• f. 1,000 to 10,000 years from now
• g. 50,000 or more years from now
• h. Other

39. What do you feel will probably happen to you after death? I feel that I will:

• a. Go to purgatory
• b. Go to hell
• c. Simply stop existing
• d. Go to heaven

40. How certain do you feel about the answer you have just given?

• a. Very certain
• b. Fairly certain
• c. Not very certain
• d. Not at all certain

41. How sure are you that you have found the answers to the meaning and the purpose of life?

• a. I am quite certain and I pretty much grew up knowing these things
• b. I am quite certain, although at one time I was pretty uncertain
• c. I am uncertain whether or not I have found them
• d. I am quite sure I have not found them
• e. I don’t really believe there are answers to these questions

So far, we have asked about your religious activities, your religious knowledge, and your religious beliefs. The next series of questions has to do with your religious experiences, that is, with what feelings you may have had which you would think of as religious.

42. To begin, would you describe briefly any experience which you have had in your life which at the time you thought of as a distinctly religious experience.

43. Listed below are a number of experiences of a religious nature which people have reported having. Since you have been an adult, have you ever had any of these experiences, and how sure are you that you had it? Answer either: Yes, I’m sure I have; Yes, I think I have; or No

• a. A feeling that you were somehow in the presence of God
• b. A sense of being saved in Christ
• c. A feeling of being afraid of God
• d. A feeling of being punished by God for something you had done
• e. A feeling of being tempted by the devil

IF YOU HAVE ANSWERED NO TO ALL OF THE ABOVE, do you feel that it is possible for people to have religious experiences?

• a. Yes b. No c. I’m not sure

The following questions give attention to still another topic-the history of Christianity. Here we are interested to learn how church people view the events of early Christianity and the Reformation period.

44. The Old Testament tells that God picked a certain group to be his “Chosen People.” Can you tell us who God picked as his “Chosen People”?

• a. The Romans
• b. The Greeks
• c. The Jews
• d. The Christians
• e. None of these

45. Who do you think are God’s “Chosen People” today?

• a. The Americans
• b. The Roman Catholics
• c. The Jews
• d. The Christians
• e. The Protestants
• f. None
• g. Other

46. Do you think of Moses, David, and Solomon as:

• a. Romans
• b. Greeks
• c. Jews
• d. Christians
• e. None of these

47. When you think of Peter and Paul and the other apostles, do you think of them as:

• a. Romans
• b. Greeks
• c. Jews
• d. Christians
• e. None of the above

48. When you think of Judas, who betrayed Christ, do you think of him as:

• a. A Roman
• b. A Greek
• c. A Jew
• d. A Christian
• e. None of these