Our disagreements aren’t causing the divisions in our country; it’s what we do when we disagree. Do we treat the other side with dignity, or do we treat them with contempt? The first brings us together; the second drives us apart.
We created The Dignity Index to show us the difference. If you're willing to treat others with dignity to ease our divisions, check out The Dignity Index and take the Dignity Pledge.
Candidates Show the Power of Dignity to Help Ease Hostilities
In the fall of 2022, The Dignity Index’s pilot earned national attention. In a national climate dominated by contempt, The Index was seen across the political spectrum as a reliable, fair, and intuitive alternative.
In the fall of 2022, The Dignity Index’s pilot earned national attention. In a national climate dominated by contempt, The Index was seen across the political spectrum as a reliable, fair, and intuitive alternative.
The Dignity Index is an eight-point scale that scores speech along a continuum from contempt to dignity in as unbiased a manner as possible. By focusing on the sound bites, not the people behind them, the Index attempts to stay true to its own animating spirit: that everyone deserves dignity.
Political discourse that demonizes the other side is crippling our democracy and dividing our families. The cause? Words. Studies have shown that language rooted in contempt creates division, while language rooted in dignity can overcome it. We will put that to the test in our pilot season by analyzing the political speech in Utah’s federal congressional races.
The Dignity Index was created in partnership with leaders in the field of behavioral science, politics, and communication, and was tested and refined by researchers at the University of Utah, the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, and the Hinckley Institute of Politics.
