Research and Evaluation

In September 2022, a team from the University of Utah including the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, the David Eccles School of Business, and the Hinckley Institute of Politics partnered with UNITE to pilot the Dignity Index.

The Pilot Project showed that university students from differing political backgrounds could be trained to apply the Dignity Index to political speech and develop consensus around passage scores.  Student scorers treated each other with dignity as they worked to achieve consensus, and their interactions underscored the premise that easing divisions and solving problems involve the same set of skills. Additionally, the Pilot Project uncovered an unexpected outcome – the Mirror Effect. 

Many student coders reported their involvement with the Dignity Index prompted them to personally reflect on their own language and the contemptuous media they were consuming.  Beyond learning how to score the speech of others, students made changes in their own behavior.

Read the Technical Summary HERE

Prior to the 2024 elections, UNITE partnered with More in Common and ROI Rocket to assemble and train a panel of about 80 people who were largely representative of the US population across key demographic characteristics (including political ideology) to score language related to the election using the 8-point Dignity Index. 

We wanted to know – could people agree upon whether a passage of speech represented dignity or contempt regardless of whether they agreed with the speaker politically?

Thirty-six weeks of data show remarkably high rates of interrater reliability. Across more than 19,000 scores collected from panelists, 92% showed agreement with the majority’s assessment of dignity or contempt. Only about 3% of scores could even possibly be attributed to partisanship — such as failing to recognize dignity from the “other side” or contempt from one’s own — and the true figure is likely even lower. These results instill confidence that regardless of the speaker’s political ideology, people of all political stripes are largely able to agree on what constitutes dignity and contempt. A full report will be released in coming months, including detailed interrater reliability findings showing substantially higher agreement than would be expected by chance alone.

Released in March 2026, the Dignity Barometer was the first-ever national survey of America’s opinions on dignity, including where and how they experience dignity and contempt in their daily lives. Measurements include the American public’s perceptions of dignity in different subcultures such as family, schools, universities/colleges, politics, government, news/media, places of worship, and the workplace. The 2026 Barometer serves as the baseline for an annual, longitudinal measure of dignity in America. Click here for the findings.

The 2026 report will draw from Dignity Barometer data to discuss key findings and the implications for cultural change and Dignity in America.

On October 20, 2025, UNITE and the Dignity.us team gathered together a trailblazing group of leaders, changemakers, and others interested in building cultures of dignity - cultures that ease division, prevent violence, and help communities solve problems together. With conflict resolution expert Donna Hicks as the keynote speaker and subject matter experts in workplace culture, K-12 programming, higher education, and politics sharing their most valuable insights and strategies during breakout sessions.

Each day the Dignity Daily game provides an opportunity to practice scoring speech using the Dignity Index.  You’ll see examples from entertainment, business, politics, and more — along with the reasoning behind each score. It’s a simple, interactive way to build your skills at recognizing dignity and contempt in everyday language. Download the app! Or practice online: https://thedaily.dignity.us/