The Dignity Index
Ease Divisions. Prevent Violence. Solve Problems.
Our disagreements aren’t causing the divisions in our country; it’s what we do when we disagree. The Dignity Index® scores distinct phrases along an eight-point scale from contempt to dignity. 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.
The Dignity Index scores distinct phrases along an eight-point scale from contempt to dignity. Lower scores (1-4) reflect divisive language while higher scores (5-8) reflect language grounded in dignity. In its pilot season, a trained group of students supported by the University of Utah’s Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute and the Hinckley Institute of Politics scored selections from candidate speeches, debates, fundraising outreach, social media posts, and campaign ads in Utah’s federal congressional races. By focusing on the speech and not the speaker, the Dignity Index is designed to draw our attention away from the biases of partisan politics and toward the power we each have to heal our country and each other.
The Index is built on three core truths: contempt causes division, dignity eases division, and when people learn to recognize the difference, they change how they speak. First introduced publicly during the 2022 midterm elections, the Index quickly proved to be reliable, fair, and intuitive across political and cultural lines. People from opposite ends of the spectrum were able to agree on scores and on what they were hearing.
What continues to emerge is both challenging and hopeful. At first, people use the Index to evaluate others. Then they begin to hear themselves. And in that moment, they realize they have agency. How we speak is not fixed. It can be chosen. And choosing dignity changes what becomes possible.
