Building societal cohesion as a key element of preparedness for future crises.
The Global Listening Project is a new initiative dedicated to driving real understanding and positive action to better prepare society for times of crisis. We use listening and dialogue to enable cooperation, cohesion and greater security.
The Global Listening Project is dedicated to building societal cohesion as a key element of preparedness for future crises, capturing sentiments and experiences around the world on the recovery from Covid-19, as well as the multiple issues around inequity, injustice, gender, and societal trust which the pandemic exacerbated and exposed.
From this important mapping of global public sentiments and experiences, at this crucial moment in history as we transition to Covid-recovery, we will identify key issues that resonate globally to inform an Index that can measure the public preparedness for future emergencies that need public cooperation.
We will call this metric the Societal Preparedness Index as it will represent a foundational measure of public readiness, informed by publics themselves, that is largely missing in current pandemic and other emergency preparedness reports and guidance.
Our Process
1.
Generating insight through human-centric listening exercises.
Empathetic, conversation-led approaches, underpinned by academic rigour.
2.
Bringing the voice of the people to policymakers and other key stakeholders.
Helping to ensure that future policy, communications and interventions are more relevant to people’s lives and sensitive to their concerns.
3.
Monitoring and evaluating shifts in public sentiment over time.
Driving understanding of how these shifts impact willingness to cooperate with protective measures, identifying strengths and flagging persistent weaknesses that impact preparedness for the future.
Why Listen?
One major weakness of the COVID-19 pandemic response was the lack of global dialogue and coordination
“Instead of a coherent and cohesive global response, #COVID19 has been marked by a chaotic patchwork of responses.”
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General, World Health Organisation
The COVID-19 pandemic has left global publics feeling ignored and unheard, especially the younger generation
“If there’s one trend that we hear most consistently it is: ‘no one listens to us’ or, as one Shujaaz fan put it recently, ‘We’re ready to share our problems and opinions, can you help us reach the people at the top?’”
— Shujazz, Youth Trends Report
We have conducted formative research in six settings to inform a 70-country survey being fielded in Spring 2023. The findings will be used to inform an Index that can measure the public preparedness for future emergencies.
“Leaders must be able to listen to others, especially experts and advisors in specialised fields. But they must also listen to the real situations and real problems of people.”
— Male, 35+, Bangkok Listening Exercise
Listening Insights
“Some people definitely had it harder than others. We still have that collective experience of the pandemic, all going through it together, but some of us are in a yacht and some are in a little boat.”
— Female, 18-34, New York Listening Exercise
“Covid-19 brought a lot of innovation, we learned to
work from home and use Zoom.”
— Male, 35+, Abuja Listening Exercise
“I think about common wealth. I think about people united for a cause. People taking care of each other – this is my sense of community.”
— Female, 18-34, Sao Paulo Listening Exercise
“Only rich people could afford a good care in hospitals. There was lots of injustice and discrimination.”
— Male, 18-34, Bangkok Listening Exercise
“I’m feeling angry, I lost 2 years of my life, I was forced to get vaccinated and all of that was for nothing.”
— Male, 18-34, Paris Listening Exercise
“We saw humanity during lockdown, like in Gurudwara Sardars distributed free oxygen, which was so good.”
— Male, 35+, New Delhi Listening Exercise
Resources
Explore resources from our partners and other listening initiatives reflecting on and documenting the global COVID-19 experience.
This young (COVID) life: Growing up in a time of crisis – UNICEF
Memorialising COVID-19 – Danielle Ofri
