The Centrality of Religiosity Scale (CRS)

TLDR

The CRS measures the centrality of religious meanings in personality across five core dimensions—public practice, private practice, religious experience, ideology, and intellectual dimensions—used in over 100 studies worldwide with more than 100,000 participants, and serves as a valid measure of individual religiosity suitable for interreligious research. The paper outlines the theoretical basis and rationale for constructing the CRS, providing versions in 20 languages and norm values for 21 countries. It also details extensions and specific modifications for studies with Buddhists, Hindus, and Muslims.

Abstract

The Centrality of Religiosity Scale (CRS) is a measure of the centrality, importance or salience of religious meanings in personality that has been applied yet in more than 100 studies in sociology of religion, psychology of religion and religious studies in 25 countries with in total more than 100,000 participants. It measures the general intensities of five theoretical defined core dimensions of religiosity. The dimensions of public practice, private practice, religious experience, ideology and the intellectual dimensions can together be considered as representative for the total of religious live. From a psychological perspective, the five core-dimensions can be seen as channels or modes in which personal religious constructs are shaped and activated. The activation of religious constructs in personality can be regarded as a valid measure of the degree of religiosity of an individual. The CRS thus derives from the five dimensional measures a combined measure of the centrality of religiosity which is suitable also for interreligious studies. The paper presents the theoretical basis and rationale of its construction with different versions of the CRS in 20 languages with norm values for 21 countries. Furthermore, the paper presents versions of different extension and describes specific modifications that were developed for studies with Buddhists, Hindus and Muslims.