What if respondents don believe in God?
The items on the religious well-being subscale of the SWBS include the word “God.” There is no reference to any particular God or to denominational or other specific religious designations. Therefore, subject is free to interpret the word God in whatever way is meaningful to the subject. This is important because the scale is desiged to measure a psychological dimension, as perceived by the subject. Most subjects find the language in the scale satisfactory. Occasionally, however, some subjects find the word God puzzling, and for them it is useful to provide instructions in advance, orally or written, that indicate that if necessary, they may interpret the word God to mean “higher power” in whatever sense is meaningful to them. This normally accommodates those subjects for whom the language in the printed scale is not in accord with their own usage.
