Tim Shriver presents Dignity Index at University of Utah forum, urges students to treat opponents with dignity

Tim Shriver, CEO of Project Unite and chairman of Special Olympics International, presented the Dignity Index and urged students at the Hinckley Forum at the University of Utah to treat people with dignity even when they disagree.

Shriver, introduced by a student host, said the nonprofit he co‑founded in 2018 developed the Dignity Index in partnership with the Hinckley Institute as “an 8 point scale that measures how people talk to each other when they disagree.” He described the effort as a response to rising contempt in political and social life and said the index is intended to make contempt visible and teach skills to move toward more civil exchange.

The Dignity Index assigns low scores to language that dehumanizes or advocates exclusion, and higher scores to language that shows curiosity and humility toward those with different views. Shriver described examples used in the program—including sportsmanship remarks by Simone Biles and a scene from the television show Ted Lasso—to illustrate how…