Everyone has something to say

Statistics. Ugh. I took one required class in statistics for my sociology major in college. It was the bane of my existence. I got through it with the help of the professor who taught that subject for those of us who were social science majors. It was the only C+ I got in four years and I was grateful for it.

The professor, Dr. Martie Shalitta, was beloved by her students throughout the decades she chaired the psychology department. It was a small college when I went there in the 1970s. “Doc” didn’t care if you were enrolled in one of her classes or not. She was always ready with a big smile and words to remember. She was small of stature, but big of heart. Her large round glasses gave her an owl-like countenance as she dispensed her wisdom. She drove a very cool vintage Ford Thunderbird, so it was easy to tell if she was on campus by checking the faculty parking lot. One could casually drop by her office between classes for encouragement or a little extra help. She died at the age of 90 in 2014, having mentored generations of students, including me.

“Doc” knew her stuff academically and was a good listener. She appreciated that everyone had something to say. If she disagreed, she did so kindly and did not make you feel stupid for asking a question. I realized that being able to make surveys and tally them correctly could give social scientists important insight into human behavior or cultural shifts.

I was reminded of this long-ago course in statistics because of a religious survey that has made news. It is the Public Religion Research Institute’s 2026 survey of American values that was recently published. I cannot give you a full critique of the issues in this commentary. I will provide links to further resources at the close of this writing.

What has drawn attention is that this year’s findings seem to show what is being called an "empathy gap" between white evangelical Protestants and the general American public. Here is a quote by author Robert P. Jones whose article called attention to the results of this survey. 

“By a margin of more than two to one, the American public affirms the social value of empathy. The survey found that two thirds of Americans (68%) believe empathy is a “foundational moral value that helps build a healthy society,” compared with less than three in ten who believe empathy “can become dangerous when it leads people away from building a society guided by God’s truth” (27%).

Dr. Jones and many others believe that a “war on empathy” has been and is being waged and that war, promoted by a few, is amplified in our politics and has seeped into our national ethos.

Here are some survey results to review, if you want to look more closely at this issue.

The whole survey summary as it relates to the empathy question is posted at the conclusion.

Before I comment further, you should know that a very reliable news source seriously questions these survey results because of how the questions were framed. Mitchell Atencio, a senior news editor at Sojourners had his own questions and also consulted with Stanford’s John Krosnick, a social psychologist with the Stanford Institute for Excellence in Social Research, who also questioned the empathy question.

Dr. Krosnick’s critique said:

One of the cardinal rules of survey research is don’t ask multi-barreled questions which are asking about multiple things at the same time,” Krosnick said. “The simple, classic example is, ‘Do you like riding on buses and trains?’ Somebody could say, ‘Well, I like trains, but I don’t like buses at all.’”It becomes even more of a problem when multi-barreled statements are set against each other.” 

A better reframing of the question, according to Mr. Atencio, could be: “How important is being sensitive to the experience of others to a healthy society?” His caveat about this research is worth noting. He said that poor research can become ammunition in the culture wars and harden us to the experience of empathy.

I say, “Dr. Shalitta, where are you when we need you?” We need more, much more of her approach, which was, “Come on up to my office. So how are you doing?”

We need less categorizing and more conversation.

We need less stereotyping and more social interactions.

We need fewer silos and more sensitivity.

In just two days, you will be casting your votes for those you wish to see represent you in our government going forward. You may have already voted early or by mail-in ballot. We each have a chance to say what we want to say with our vote. Voting is both a privilege and a responsibility.

Rather than getting hung up on the results of surveys by others, let’s survey our own attitudes and behaviors around empathy. Now could be a good time to make a midterm correction in your attitudes and try, to the best of your ability, to say what you want to say.