Dimensions of Secularity (DoS): An Open Inventory to Measure Facets of Secular Identities

Abstract

Beliefs about the world affect experiences and behavior. Although much is known about beliefs pertaining to religion, or the supernatural, secular identifies have, to date, remained largely neglected. To allow for dimensional assessment of different aspects of secular identities, the Dimensions of Secularity (DoS) inventory has been developed. It measures degrees of atheism, agnosticism and several philosophic orientations (scientism, personal responsibility, humanism). As an “open” inventory, these constructs are not seen as comprehensive, and researchers are encouraged to add further scales. The DoS shows good reliabilities and a clear factor structure. Confirmatory factor analysis confirms the theoretically proposed model. Correlation patterns with discriminant measures (religious belonging, belief, spirituality, numinous experiences) support the instrument's discriminant validity. Associations with sources of meaning contribute to construct validity. Demographic relationships are reported and discussed.