Measurement and meaning of religiosity: A cross-cultural comparison of religiosity and charitable giving

Abstract

The present study attempts to establish measurement invariance of a scale to measure religiosity across two diverse cultures with samples from India (N=201) and the United States (N=144). A series of confirmatory factor analyses were carried out to establish measurement invariance. Results indicate that the religiosity scale is a reliable scale and could be used in culturally diverse countries. Correlation analysis also shows that the meaning people attach to their religiosity and their behaviors might be influenced by their culture. Implications of the findings are also discussed. © 2012 Macmillan Publishers Ltd.