Development and Validation of the Daoist Flexibility Beliefs Scale

This dataset originates from the development and validation of the Daoist Flexibility Belief Scale (DFB), which aims to empirically examine the psychological structure underlying Daoist concepts such as “Suppleness-over-Rigidity” and “Inner Vitality” described in the Daodejing. Data were collected between March and September 2024 via the Credamo online platform, covering 26 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities across mainland China. All participants were adults aged 18 years and above who completed an online questionnaire and passed attention-check items. Data were recorded automatically through the platform and exported in CSV format from participants’ personal devices (PC or mobile).The dataset comprises three independent samples, totaling 838 valid cases:Sample 1 (Exploratory Factor Analysis): 349 cases, used to explore the latent factor structure of the scale.Sample 2 (Confirmatory Factor Analysis): 248 cases, used to verify the model structure and test its goodness of fit.Sample 3 (Criterion-related Validity Analysis): 241 cases, used to examine correlations with relevant psychological variables (nonattachment, junzi personality, life satisfaction, and psychological resilience).Each dataset file includes multiple questionnaire items and demographic variables. Rows represent individual participants (one row per participant), and columns represent variable names. Questionnaire items are labeled Q1–Q34, rated on 5- or 7-point Likert scales (1 = “strongly disagree,” 7 = “strongly agree,” unitless). Demographic variables include gender, age, and education level. A small proportion of missing values (less than 2%) are coded as “NA” and retained to preserve data authenticity.Data were processed using SPSS 26.0 and R 4.3.1 (packages psych and lavaan). The main steps included reverse scoring, item mean computation, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, internal consistency reliability estimation, and criterion-related correlation analysis. Results indicated that the data distributions and factor structures met psychometric standards, with reliability coefficients (Cronbach’s α) ranging from 0.60 to 0.91.The data are provided in standard CSV format and can be opened or analyzed with any statistical software (e.g., SPSS, R, or Python). File names and contents are as follows:DFB_EFA.csv: Exploratory factor analysis sample (N = 349)DFB_CFA.csv: Confirmatory factor analysis sample (N = 248)DFB_Criterion.csv: Criterion validity sample (N = 241)