It’s Time For a National Dialogue on Character

During this election season, I’ve heard the phrase “America’s character” a lot. Candidates from both parties are expressing their concern that our nation’s character is in danger.

At Character.org, we believe character is the foundation – the cement and iron — upon which our nation rests. Yet the data is clear: our country is witnessing a significant erosion of character across many aspects of public and private life. That’s why we believe now is the time to elevate the importance of character. Please visit our new homepage to see how we are answering this important challenge with our Call To Character campaign. (the link is below). 

One component of the campaign is producing a groundbreaking report that will detail our nation’s crisis across four essential building blocks of character:

• Moral Character: Declining ethical behavior

We will examine current data on the levels of corruption in American culture (in both the private and public sectors), including disturbing levels of lying, stealing, and cheating across American society (e.g., tax cheats, employee theft, shoplifting, imposter scams, academic cheating). 

• Performance Character: The Accountability Deficit

Researchers have recently documented that an increasing number of Americans devalue the importance of personal responsibility. Even more troubling is data showing a decreasing “work ethic” among younger Americans, as well as research on Americans becoming less resilient. 

• Intellectual Character: The Devaluing of Humility 

We will examine current research on decreasing levels of humility across our nation, including data that shows Americans are finding it increasingly difficult to understand or appreciate the perspective of others (due to social media as well as other factors). 

• Civic Character: The Tragic Decaying of the Common Good

There is compelling research on the growing lack of respect and civility in American culture. We are trusting each other less, volunteering less, and giving less (generosity). 

Our Call to Character campaign is more than just an effort to document the erosion of character across American society. Rather, working with a wide range of collaborators and thought leaders, the campaign will propose a robust set of actionable solutions that we believe need to be implemented to address our nation’s crisis of character.

Please join us. 

Your financial support will help sustain and expand this important work. Every contribution, big or small, will enable us to elevate the importance of character across our nation. We encourage you to also help us spread the word to others in your network who might be interested in supporting our campaign. Together, we are stronger!

We also invite you to get involved. We need your help to drive this movement forward. If you or someone you know would be interested in being part of our Call to Character campaign, please email me at arthur@character.org.

Since the founding of Character.org over 30 years ago, Martin Luther King’s timeless call for his children to be judged by “the content of their character” has inspired us. Yet today, we believe America stands at a crossroads. It is time to return character to the forefront of our national dialogue. Families, schools, workplaces, and communities across the United States need to address what we know is true – a flourishing society requires citizens who model and emphasize character. Together, let’s build a future where people across our nation are more ethical, civic-minded, and caring. 

Here’s our new homepage and donor page.