The Science of Dignity

Abstract This book provides original evidence arguing for dignity as an indicator of public health by offering a scientific framework for measuring dignity and its social determinants. Like happiness or love, dignity is valued by individuals but difficult to define. Across centuries of philosophical thought and decades of social science research, dignity involves how individuals and societies relate in a way that preserves and nurtures both, a veritable bedrock of democracy. The book shows that dignity can be efficiently measured by using simple survey items that ask individuals whether there is “dignity” in their life or in how they are treated by others. It finds that unhappiness, sadness, anger, and lower general health are far more common for those reporting undignified lives. “Dignity threat” affected 21.5% of Americans in 2021, representing more than a 50% increase from 2017. Across America, differences in dignity come from inequalities in social and economic resources and from experiences of disrespect, threat, and life stress—and from mastery, mattering, and meaning. Social groups with less power generally report lower levels of dignity linked to these multifaceted resource and stress inequalities. Individuals disadvantaged by race, gender, age, or disability suffer from greater indignity, and a four-year college education delineates profound resource divides in America. Polarization itself, in terms of perceived threat from other social groups, is linked to indignity. Even amid diverse moralities, however, dignity demonstrates wide value in America. By foregrounding life’s sanctity, dignity provides a scientific basis for collective consensus and social inspiration.