In this study we explore the possibilities and limitations of using the Salvation item of the Rokeach
Value Survey (RVS) as a global indicator of religiosity. Our data come from the data collection
connected to the 4th wave of the European Social Survey (2008; N = 1144). First we compare the
Salvation item with four global indicators of religiosity. In the second phase of analysis we examine
the relationship between the overall indicators of religiosity – including, especially, the RVS
Salvation item – and two „classic“ aspects of religiosity, the ideological dimension (beliefs) and
the consequential dimension (religious behaviour). In the third step, we analyse the similarities and
differences of the behaviour of Salvation and the other indicators as a function of socio-demographic
variables (gender, age, level of education, domicile, denominational affiliation) with
ANOVA. On the whole, the Salvation item of the RVS is a somewhat weaker indicator of religiosity
than the other global indicators. On the one hand, it seems to be a stricter measure than those,
and, on the other hand, it is less suitable to identify non-traditional forms of religiosity. With these
restrictions, however, it can be considered an adequate indicator of religiosity under the social conditions
of Hungary in the twenty-first century
