This white paper synthesizes UNITE’s own 2026 Dignity Barometer survey — a nationally representative poll of 1,503 U.S. adults fielded by Hart Research — together with the organization’s program and practice experience into a field-level overview of how Americans experience dignity versus contempt in family, school, political, media, and workplace settings. It highlights large gaps between the value Americans place on dignity and how much they believe it is actually practiced, offered as context and a shared vocabulary for bridging and dialogue practitioners. This is UNITE’s own evaluation and synthesis of its Dignity Barometer program rather than an independent, third-party assessment.