The structure of the attitudes toward religion as measured by the Post-Critical Belief Scale: A structural modelling approach

Piotr Szydłowski,Jan Cieciuch,Radosław Rogoza

doi:10.1007/s12144-021-02367-2

Abstract

This paper investigates the structure of the Post-Critical Belief Scale (PCBS), which was designed by Hutsebaut (1996) to assess attitudes towards religion according to Wulff’s (1991) model. Existing results suggest ambiguous solutions, with two, three, or four factors, when only the four-factor solution is consistent with Wulff’s theoretical model. In the current study, we examined whether this hypothesized model indeed would be reflected in the data, when the more appropriate, newly-developed, Set-Exploratory Structural Equation modeling (Set-ESEM) is applied. The study was carried out on a sample of 952 participants. The results of the Set-ESEM modeling provided evidence for the good fit of the four-factor structure. Nevertheless, we also identified some shortcomings of the measure and identified items which may be removed in order to increase measurement precision.

Highlights

One of the most frequently used models of attitudes towards religion was proposed by Wulff (1991) comprising four basic attitudes
The analyzed Set-Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling (ESEM) model reached the following fit indices: χ2(460) = 1338.02, p < .001; comparative fit index (CFI) = .893, root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) = .045, 90% CI [.042, .048]; SRMR =
The fit indices of the CFA model suggested poor fit, χ2(489) = 2274.43, p < .001; CFI = .783, RMSEA = .062, 90% CI [.059, .065]; SRMR =

Summary

Introduction

One of the most frequently used models of attitudes towards religion was proposed by Wulff (1991) comprising four basic attitudes. Wulff (1991) summarized many different variables describing religiosity, especially religious attitudes, in the model of four attitudes toward religion, described by two dimensions These dimensions are: (a) Inclusion vs Exclusion of Transcendence Wulff’s model is clearly inspired by the thought of Ricoeur (1978), who believed that religious faith in the modern era (in which the phenomenon of atheism and the progressive secularization of societies are common) takes the form of rational interpretations and reinterpretations Wullf called this approach by Ricouer the post-critical approach and is understood as a kind of reconstruction of religion after considerable criticism of religion from scientific standpoints in the twentieth century (Hutsebaut, 1996). The attitudes toward religion distinguished by Wulff (1991) are measured using the Post-Critical Belief Scale (PCBS), developed by Hutsebaut (1996)

Objectives

Results

Conclusion