Lloyd’s Register Foundation invites storytellers to show human face of World Risk Poll

The Lloyd’s Register Foundation World Risk Poll is the first global study of worry about, and harm from, risks to people’s safety. The second edition of the Poll, based on around 125,000 interviews conducted by Gallup in 121 countries during 2021, was published in four themed reports between July 2022 and February 2023, including:

• A Changed World? Perceptions and experiences of risk in the Covid age
• A Resilient World? Understanding vulnerability in a changing climate
• A Digital World: Perceptions of risk from AI and misuse of personal data
• Safe at Work? Global experiences of violence and harassment

The World Risk Poll includes places where little or no official data on safety and risk exists, and so constitutes a unique resource for defining the nature and scale of safety challenges across the world, as reported first-hand by those who experience them. The Poll also offers a direct comparison between how people around the world perceive risks and how they experience them; understanding these differences can be crucial to informing effective risk management policies and communications.

The Foundation wants to encourage governments, regulators, businesses, NGOs and international bodies to use the Poll data to inform and target policies and interventions that make people safer, working in partnership with and empowering communities.

The World Risk Poll provides a rich source of quantitative, statistical data on the safety challenges facing people around the world. However, driving change on these issues, and influencing policy and practice to reduce risk and harm, also requires a compelling human narrative to illustrate the real-life impact of the risks highlighted by the Poll findings.

To this end, the Foundation is looking to commission a number of ‘storytellers’ – who could be investigative journalists, photojournalists, videographers and/or documentary film makers – to go out ‘into the field’ to speak to at-risk people and communities identified by the Poll findings about the risks they face and the impact this has on their lives, so we can tell their story and  bring their voices directly to the fore. The voices of other stakeholders, such as professionals, policymakers and/or community groups trying to tackle the issues raised in that location could also be featured.

The outputs could take the form of short case study videos, longer-form feature videos, digital photo exhibitions or photo diaries, short written case studies, or longer form written or mixed-medium features articles – the Foundation is open to a broad range of mediums that tell the stories in a compelling way. In any case, it is important that the output:

• Links back to the World Risk Poll findings, using them as statistical context for qualitative human-focused content that together makes a persuasive case for change.
• Engages directly with the communities at risk in a sympathetic, non-judgemental and non-extractive way.
• Explores how and why the risk in question is perceived and experienced the way it is by people in these communities.
• Helps raise awareness of the World Risk Poll as a key global data source for understanding public perceptions and experiences of risk, and of LRF as a leading authority in this area.

The outputs will be published or linked to from the Foundation and World Risk Poll websites, will be disseminated across our digital communications channels, and potentially showcased at both virtual and in-person events.

Commissioned projects and outputs could focus on any safety issues, demographics and countries/regions highlighted by any of the four 2021 World Risk Poll reports, or by any of the subsequently published ‘Focus On’ reports. Those interested in submitting a proposal should consult these reports to identify potential stories that align with their areas of interest, knowledge and access. Some potential examples are listed below, but these are illustrative, and proposals need not be limited to them:

• The risk perception gap for workplace harm, whereby in many countries, particularly Southern European countries like Italy, people report relatively high rates of being hurt at work, and yet few say they are worried about this happening.
• Countries, such as those in Western Africa, where low scores on the World Risk Poll Resilience Index – particularly for certain demographics such as women living rurally – coincide with high exposure to climate change-related severe weather events such as flooding.
• Countries, including the Nordics, where experience of discrimination correlates with increased concern about the dangers of AI technologies.
• Regions such as Northern America, where foreign-born workers who are struggling financially are the group most likely to experience violence and harassment at work, but at the least likely to tell someone about it.

Note that data collection for the third edition of the Poll is already underway and will continue throughout the second half of 2023 (results to be published in 2024). Members of the Foundation team will be observing some of this work on-location in Latin America (potentially Panama), provisionally w/c 11 September 2023. If relevant to your chosen topic, filming with Poll participants in this location could be facilitated.

You could be a journalist, photographer, videographer, documentary filmmaker, or similar creative storyteller. Pre-existing in-depth knowledge of the safety issue and/or community you choose to investigate is not essential, but genuine interest in and passion for the story is. Existing networks and/or contacts on the ground that could help you gain access and tell that story would be an advantage (the Foundation may potentially be able to assist with contacts in relation to some issues/geographies, but do not rely on this in your proposal).

We are open to proposals from agencies as well as solo/freelance contractors, as well as to collaborative proposals, particularly from storytellers with complementary skillsets.

• 16 June – 24 July 2023: open for proposal submissions.
• w/c 24 July 2023: proposals reviewed and successful projects chosen.
• August 2023 – February 2024: project delivery (applicants should set out their own realistically estimated timelines, to fit within this period, as part of their proposal).
• w/c 11 September 2023: opportunity to film with Poll participants in the field, if relevant (see above).
• September 2023 – March 2024: final output delivery/publication (depending on project timescales as set out in proposal).

A total of £250,000 has been set aside by LRF for this programme of work. We expect to fund a number of different projects and contractors – potentially 2-6 – from within this pot, depending on the scale and nature of the proposals submitted.

All applicants should provide an appropriate itemised budget as part of their proposal, including travel, necessary accommodation, equipment required and associated expenses. Value for money will be a consideration in the selection process.

Interested parties should submit a concise proposal to [email protected] by 24 July 2023, in Word, PDF or PowerPoint format, and with ‘WRP storytelling proposal’ in the email subject line. Proposal structure and content is up to you, but should include:

• A clear description of the risk/safety issue and geographic location(s)/communities chosen, with reference to the relevant World Risk Poll findings/statistics.
• An outline of the project methodology.
• A description of the proposed outputs/mediums.
• Mention of any relevant contacts/networks that will help access/delivery.
• Estimated timelines.
• Itemised budget.
• Background on the individual or team delivering the work, and why they are well placed to do so, with links to relevant/similar previous work/portfolio if applicable.