Notice of Proposed Pride Ranking Directive
Citizens currently rank rights and freedoms #1 and #2 in unprompted pride surveys, ahead of the military and hockey. The Bureau has convened to determine whether this ranking is correct, and if not, what to do about it.
Fig. 1 — Proposed re-sequencing exercise, currently unauthorized by the citizens depicted.
Section 1 — Findings
What people actually said they were proud of
Unprompted, in their own words, before anyone suggested otherwise the ranking below is what citizens reported. Nobody asked them to rank it this way. They just did.
Four items. No overlap in category — a legal principle, a legal principle, an institution, and a sport. The only thing they share is that citizens picked them, unassisted .
Section 2 — The Problem, As Identified By Us
The ranking is accurate. That is precisely the issue.
Re: Discrepancy Between Organic Pride and Institutional Priorities
Internal research confirms citizens independently associate national pride with rights and freedoms ahead of other themes the department had hoped would register more strongly .
This presents a communications challenge: the public's actual values are well-formed, deeply held, and were arrived at without departmental input. Redirecting them toward ██████████████ priorities will require care.
Recommend a phased messaging strategy that reframes existing pride as an entry point, rather than attempting to replace it outright — replacement testing poorly in every previous survey wave.
Section 3 — Proposed Approach
Two ways to relate to what people are proud of
What Pride Usually Is
- Formed privately, over a lifetime
- Not assigned by any office
- Allowed to be in any order at all
- Nobody's business but the person feeling it
- Immune to quarterly review
What Pride Is Being Treated As
- A dataset requiring correction
- An asset to be reallocated by priority
- A ranking with an "intended" order
- A messaging opportunity, pending sign-off
- Something to be "leveraged," not simply felt
Section 4 — Statement For The Record
Citizens are free to cherish their rights and freedoms, provided the appropriate department first approves the order in which they cherish them. Draft language, awaiting revision
Section 5 — Requested Authorization
Form 4B: Request to Re-rank a Feeling
For internal routing only. Not to be shown to the citizens whose pride is under review, per standard practice.