The Interfaith Intolerance Scale: Factor Structure and Associations with Empathy, Political Ideology, and Preferences in Information Processing
Wesley B. Webber
Prior research has conceptualized and measured religious intolerance as occurring towards specific religions rather than all religious outgroups. We examined the factor structure and construct validity of the Interfaith Intolerance Scale (IIS), a measure of general ingroup religious bias and disregard for other religions. In study 1 (N = 403), an exploratory factor analysis yielded a three factor solution: Lack of reciprocal understanding, interfaith superiority, and interfaith discomfort. Internal consistency was good for two factors and limited for one factor. All factors were positively associated with conservative political ideology. In study 2 (N = 1,493), a confirmatory factor analysis supported the three-factor model, and factors showed acceptable to good internal consistency. Evidence of construct validity was demonstrated to varying extents across factors through their relationships with conservative political ideology and dual-process constructs (need for affect, need for cognition, and empathy). Implications for measurement and theories of interfaith intolerance are discussed.
