Reposted from the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute.
Nearly all Americans agree that every person deserves to be treated with dignity, but most believe that value is missing from public life, according to a new national report released today by UNITE in partnership with the University of Utah's Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute.
"Dignity in America" builds on findings from the 2026 Dignity Barometer, a nationally representative survey of more than 1,500 U.S. adults, to examine the gap between Americans' widely shared value of dignity and their perceptions of how people-including themselves-treat one another. Rather than simply documenting these gaps, the report draws on behavioral science, social norms research and related scholarly work to explore why they exist, what keeps them in place and how they might be narrowed. It also examines how educational experiences, practical tools and cultural change efforts can help people recognize and reduce the gap between their values and their actions.
"At a time when many Americans feel divided, this report reminds us that we share an important common value: the belief that every person deserves to be treated with dignity," said Timothy Shriver, co-founder of Dignity.us and chairperson of the Special Olympics. "That shared value gives us a foundation for strengthening our civic culture, even if our natural biases can sometimes make it difficult to recognize, or live up to, that largely shared ideal."
The report is co-authored by Samantha Ball and David Witt of the Gardner Institute's Dignity Initiative Program, along with Tom Rosshirt, Dignity.us's director of research.
"One of the defining responsibilities of a public research university is to create the conditions where people can engage difficult questions with both intellectual rigor and respect for one another," U President Taylor Randall said. "The findings in this report remind us that while Americans do disagree on important issues, we share a deeper commitment to human dignity than we sometimes recognize. That shared commitment reinforces the unique role universities play in cultivating curiosity, encouraging meaningful dialogue and building the trust that allows communities to solve difficult problems together."
Barometer findings that are analyzed in the report include:
Americans share a near-universal belief in dignity. Ninety-four percent agree that all people deserve to be treated with dignity, regardless of disagreement.
Americans see a significant dignity gap. Only 31% believe people in the United States generally treat one another with dignity during disagreement.
People judge themselves differently than they judge others. Seventy-seven percent say they usually treat others with dignity, while only 47% believe others treat them the same way.
Americans recognize they don't always live up to their own ideals. While 76% strongly believe everyone deserves dignity, only 23% say they always treat others with dignity.
Most Americans are exhausted by division and want something different. Seventy-eight percent are dissatisfied with how Americans treat one another, 74% say they are exhausted by today's divisions and 88% believe it is important to treat people with dignity even during disagreement.
There is reason for optimism. Americans who regularly engage with people who hold different political views are substantially more optimistic that the nation's divisions can be eased.
The report concludes that increasing awareness of Americans' shared commitment to dignity-while helping people recognize the psychological biases and cultural forces that can undermine that commitment-can foster healthier public discourse and strengthen civic trust. Rather than focusing only on polarization, the findings suggest there is broad common ground on which communities, institutions and leaders can build. "Dignity in America" is based on findings from the annual Dignity Barometer, which will continue tracking Americans' experiences, perceptions, and attitudes toward dignity over time.
The full report is available online.
See related stories:
University of Utah forms timely and impactful partnership with Dignity Index
The power of dignity: Tim Shriver forges new path through the walls that divide us
U Impact Scholar Shriver explains how to break from the 'contempt industrial complex'
